LANCASTER, Pa. — Police in Lancaster County have charged a Washington D.C. woman with 11 felonies and a misdemeanor after she allegedly stole a Lancaster woman's identity and withdrew $20,000 from her bank account earlier this year.
Jynell Williams, 39, is charged with dealing in proceeds of unlawful activities, three counts of identity theft, two counts of theft by deception, one count of theft by unlawful taking and four counts of access device fraud, according to Manheim Township Police.
She was taken into custody in Washington D.C. earlier this month and extradited to Lancaster County, where she was arraigned on Thursday.
Williams is currently being held in Lancaster County Prison in lieu of $20,000 bail, police said Friday.
Authorities began investigating when the victim alerted police to suspected fraudulent activities on her PNC Bank account on March 1, according to the criminal complaint affidavit.
Police contacted PNC Bank's Fraud Investigation Team, which provided documentation of the following suspected fraudulent activities on the victim's bank account:
- Friday, March 1 (3:54 p.m.): A suspect, later identified as Williams, used the victim's identity to obtain a $15,000 cashier's check issued against the victim's account at a PNC Bank branch on the 1900 block of Fruitville Pike. The cashier's check was deposited at a neighboring Wells Fargo Bank. The suspect gave the teller a Maryland driver's license with the suspect's photo and the victim's identifying information. Surveillance photos from both banks showed the same woman receiving the cashier's check from one bank and depositing it at the other.
- Friday, March 1 (4:52 p.m.): The same suspect, using the victim's identity, attempted to withdraw $8,000 from the victim's account at a PNC Bank on the 100 block of N. Pointe Boulevard in Lancaster, but the transaction was declined. Surveillance footage from the bank showed the suspect was the same woman who visited the other banks.
- Friday, March 1 (5:23 p.m.): A suspect using a debit card tied to the victim's account withdrew $2,000 from an ATM at a PNC Bank on the first block of Long Lane in Willow Street. Surveillance footage from the transaction showed the suspect was the same woman.
- Friday, March 1 (5:43 p.m.): A suspect withdrew $3,000 from the victim's account at the same PNC Bank location in Willow Street, presenting the same Maryland driver's license with her image and the victim's identifying information to the teller.
- Friday, March 1 (6:06 p.m.): A suspect used the victim's debit card to make a $47.06 purchase from a Sheetz store on the 2500 block of Willow Street Pike in Willow Street. Video surveillance showed the suspect was the same woman from the earlier incidents.
- Friday, March 1 (6:24 p.m.): A suspect using the victim's debit card attempted to purchase $1,952.94 worth of goods from a GIANT store on Willow Valley Square, but the transaction was declined. Surveillance showed it was the same woman.
- Saturday, March 2 (12:06 a.m.): A suspect used a debit card belonging to the victim to attempt a withdrawal of $800 from an ATM at the PNC Bank on the 1900 block of Fruitville Pike. Surveillance footage showed it was the same woman.
Police identified Williams as a suspect in the case after observing the car she was riding in from surveillance footage of the transactions. The car's license plate was traced to Prince George's County, Maryland and its registration helped identify her as a possible suspect. Police learned she had a valid driver's license from Washington, D.C., where she was listed as on probation, according to the complaint.
Investigators obtained Williams' drivers license photo and determined she was the same woman seen in surveillance videos and photos of the bank transactions in and around Lancaster.
Police also learned that on March 1, someone called the PNC Bank's Customer Care Center to inquire about card loss prevention measures. The caller's number was traced to a cell phone belonging to Williams, the complaint states.
Investigators used cell phone tower data to determine the phone was in the area of the alleged transactions in Lancaster County at the time they occurred.
Police filed the charges against Williams on June 11.