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Eastchester resident Peter Corines, 69, pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to an 11-count indictment that alleges he stole $540,106.60 from a 98-year-old woman during a two week period, claiming to have power of attorney, Westchester County District Attorney Anthony Scarpino, Jr., announced.
According to the indictment, during a two-week period in November last year, Corines stole from Bernice Judd Porter by fraudulently claiming to be her power of attorney and pretending to be her on the phone or online with several financial institutions where she had accounts.
Corines allegedly obtained Porter’s Social Security number and information about her finances, including bank and investment firms where she had accounts. He also allegedly posed as her while calling those firms to redeem funds from the accounts and created online accounts in her name without consent. Corines also allegedly requested checks from online accounts and changed Porter’s address with the financial institutions after opening the online accounts.
The indictment further alleges that Corines wrote checks from Porter’s checkbooks without her knowledge and deposited them into his own brokerage accounts, and his yacht and auto restoration and repair company’s bank account. Corines allegedly also created a joint bank account with his victim and withdrew cash from other bank accounts owned by Porter.
In doing so, Corines allegedly stole the $540,106.60, and allegedly also attempted to steal an additional $262,171.49 during that two-week period.
Corines has been charged with five counts of third-degree attempted grand larceny, three counts of first-degree identity theft and individual counts of grand larceny, second-degree attempted grand larceny and scheme to defraud, all felonies. Corines remains released on bail. He is due back in court on July 10.
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