Bronx man sentenced for bank fraud, identity theft

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- A Bronx man has been sentenced to three years and six months in prison for defrauding five Capital Region banks, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. Antonio Vargas, 58, pleaded guilty back in December of 2023.

Vargas admitted that between June and July of 2022, he presented counterfeit identification documents to bank tellers at multiple local financial institutions, including Trustco Bank, Adirondack Trust Bank and Saratoga National Bank and Trust Company. The documents used his photograph, but utilized the names and other personal information of real bank customers in Albany, Rensselaer, Saratoga and Schenectady Counties.

The investigation revealed that Vargas fraudulently withdrew a total of $58,000 from the customers' accounts. It was also determined that he previously committed the same scheme in Louisiana and Connecticut.

Vargas was arrested on July 13, 2022 by the Saratoga Springs Police Department after failing at an attempt to withdraw money from a Saratoga National Bank branch. He has since remained in federal custody. In addition to his prison sentence, Vargas was ordered to pay $58,000 in restitution to the banks and serve a five-year term of post-release supervision.