Carla Occaso
Berlin police apprehended a Virginia man Nov. 21 at the Vermont State Employees Credit Union on Paine Turnpike in Berlin for allegedly using a stolen identity to try to fraudulently withdraw a large sum of cash. It turns out this wasn’t his first time. Police released more information on Dec. 19.
The Berlin credit union had already been alerted to the man since he had tried to make similar transactions at other locations of the Vermont State Employees Credit Union within the state of Vermont, according to police. When officers arrived at the Berlin branch, they caught George A. Padin, 35, of Chesterfield, Virginia. Padin had originally given a false name and presented a false Utah driver’s license.
Upon further investigation, it was discovered that along with the Berlin branch, Padin had gone to VSECU branches located in Rutland, Bennington, and Brattleboro and used stolen identities to make large fraudulent withdrawals out of multiple victims’ accounts, according to a report from Detective Corporal Daniel Withrow. Therefore, Padin was charged with three counts of identity theft and three counts of false pretense.
Padin was issued citations to appear in criminal courts in Bennington, Rutland, and Windham counties.
