Stamford Police Arrest Texas Man in 'Grandma Scam'

say they’ve arrested the third and fourth suspects in a “grandma scam” that this summer saw an 80-year-old city resident bilked out of $20,000 because he thought his grandson was in trouble.

Kenneth Wayne Thomas, 23, of 11203 Goncho St., Houston, Texas, was arrested at 7:23 p.m. Thursday and charged with attempt to commit first-degree larceny, conspiracy to commit first-degree larceny, second-degree larceny and attempt to commit second-degree larceny.

According to Stamford Police Sgt. Peter diSpagna, a fourth individual also has been arrested on the department’s own warrant, though that person has not yet been identified because he’s still in Texas.

Stamford Police Property Crime Investigators John Russell and Michael Stempien of the Detective Bureau, who continue to work the case, are credited with the arrests, diSpagna said.

This summer, the victim—a Stamford grandfather—received a phone call from someone saying they were the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and told the victim that his grandson was in a car that was stopped and found to contain marijuana.

“He (the victim) was told he needed to wire $12,000 to an international bondsman in Dallas, Texas, otherwise his grandson would go to jail,” diSpagna said.

The man complied with the request, wiring $12,000 via Western Union as well as an additional $5,000 that a follow-up call requested, “to pay taxes and other fees on the bond.”

Soon afer, the man phoned the grandson’s parents and discovered that, in fact, he’d been scammed, diSpagna said.

Russell and Stempien started by contacting the Western Union offices in Texas that were used by the criminals, and gathered photos of individuals collecting the money, diSpagna said.

Thomas is the third person arrested so far, diSpagna said. The money itself, which is not recoverable, goes “up the ladder” from one rung to the next “until you get to the mastermind,” he said. Thomas and the newly arrested individual represent the third and fourth rungs on that ladder, diSpagna said.

The investigation is ongoing, he said.