Fraud indictment
A grand jury indicted a Hudson Square resident last week for the theft of more than $3.9 million from 22 investors over a seven-year period as part of a self-perpetuating scam, according to the office of Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau.
The suspect, Alexis Quinlin, 45, of 62 Watts St., was charged with grand larceny, scheming to defraud, criminal impersonation, forgery and criminal possession of forged documents. He pleaded not guilty at his May 11 arraignment and posted a bail bond for $100,000 pending a June 15 court appearance.
Quinlin is charged with luring investment in two companies purporting to export DVD’s and flat-screen televisions for resale in Europe. The sales never occurred and the two companies were used to perpetuate the scheme.
To convince his victims, Quinlin said that celebrities, including Richard Branson, the Virgin magnate, and Daniel Auteuil, a French actor, were among his investors. He also had “contracts” with false signatures of the actors John Travolta and Jodie Foster and said the two stars were investors when they were not, according to the indictment.
Quinlin is also charged with impersonating Jean-Baptiste Mondino, a French photographer and music video director. Quinlin used money from some investors to pay “profits” to others, but the money paid to investors was almost always less than the amount of their investments, according to the charges. The district attorney’s office said the investigation was continuing.
First Ave. hold-up
A man walked into a ground-floor shop at 158 First Ave. near E. 10th St. shortly before 3 p.m. Tues. May 2, indicated that he had a gun and ordered the woman employee to open the cash register, police said. The thief scooped out an undetermined amount of cash and fled.
Returns home
Amanda Dant, 12, reported missing after walking out of her home at 347 E. 10th St. just east of Avenue B at 9 p.m. on Mon. May 8, returned home safely on Sat. May 13, police said. Police did not give a reason for why she disappeared.
Albert Amateau
