Man Charged in Stamford with Scamming Banks with Bad Checks

A Stratford man was arrested and charged in Stamford for his involvement in an alleged check-cashing scheme across several bank branches, police announced Wednesday morning. 

According to Sgt. Andrew Gallagher, Zachary Lewis Zamfino, 28, of Sands Pl., allegedly opened a checking account in April with Fairfield County Savings Bank with a minimal balance under $100. The account remained inactive until June.

Between June 4 and June 6, the account suddenly began to see a great deal of activity, Gallagher said, and seven deposits ranging in amounts from $100 to $4,000 were allegedly made from a Capitol One checking account.

Before the checks could be processed and discovered as bad, withdraws from the Fairfield County Savings account were made in the amount of roughly $11,000 at ATMs and various branches around Fairfield County, including a half-dozen Stamford locations and a Norwalk branch, Gallagher said.

Gallagher said the case remains under investigation, and said police believe Zamfino was allegedly working with at least two other co-conspiritors, including a suspect already in police custody on an unrelated matter. The third suspect is still being sought.

Zamfino faces charges of second-degree larceny, conspiracy to commit second-degree larceny and seven counts of conspiracy to commit the crime of issuing bad checks.

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Stamford Arrests

Steven Bernard Barnes, 23, of Monroe St. in Bridgeport, charged Tuesday evening with third-degree criminal trespass.

Louis Gaston, 41, of Grove St., charged Tuesday morning with illegal operation of a motor vehicle while under suspension and failure to display lights.

Amanda Jovita Green, 26, of Green St., charged Wednesday morning with second-degree failure to appear.

James Lewis, 22, of Westport Ave. in Norwalk, charged Tuesday evening with third-degree criminal trespass.