Police arrest three in ATM fraud

Three men were arrested in Merrick Saturday night when they were discovered traveling with more than $16,000 in ATM withdrawals and 64 re-encoded gift cards, police said.

According to police, Thomas Smith, 26, of Toms River, N.J., Brian Smith, 24, of Bayville, N.J., and Sasha Popov, 42, of Bethpage, were arrested after plain-clothes officers watched two of the men enter an ATM vestibule at a Merrick Road Citibank.

The officers reported seeing that the men's faces were partially covered and saw one man use one ATM while the other man used two separate machines. The men then left the bank in a maroon Honda. Police followed the suspicious bankers and stopped the car for a traffic violation after a short distance. Inside, they discovered the cash, all in $20 denominations and forged gift cards.

Both Thomas and Brian Smith were charged with Scheme to Defraud and four counts of Possession of a Forged Instrument. Popov was charged with Scheme to Defraud and Possession of a Forged Instrument.

All three were arraigned in First District Court in Hempstead on Sunday and were due back in court on March 10. Popov was held on $50,000 bail, Thomas Smith on $100,000 and Brian Smith on $50,000.

Police are investigating if the defendants are wanted in a series of related crimes in other jurisdictions.