Federal investigators say a fugitive from California wanted for committing $680,000 in bank fraud who’s linked to an international crime ring is suspected of hiding out on Long Island.
The FBI said Robert Rodriguez, who is facing federal charges including defrauding a financial institution in San Diego, was last known to be in the Suffolk County and is believed to have family in the Patchogue area.
“Rodriguez and his co-conspirators allegedly opened seed accounts under fictitious business at national banks and then funded a bust-out account at Bank of America … with funds from the seed accounts,” the FBI said in a new release.
“The co-conspirators wrote bad checks from the seed accounts to deposit in the bust-out account and withdrew the funds before the bank within minutes or hours after BoA lifted the hold on the check, but before determining the issuing account had insufficient funds,” the release continued.
Rodriguez, who allegedly has ties to a Eurasian criminal organization suspected of committing multimillion dollar tax fraud, is one of 18 charged in a cross country-case.
Rodriguez is 26 years old, 5-feet, 8-inches tall and about 160 pounds. He has hazel eyes and is bald with a tattoo on his left forearm. He is not considered to be violent.
The FBI asks anyone with information as to the whereabouts of Rodriguez to contact law enforcement immediately. The FBI can be reached 24 hours a day at 212-384-1000
