Ditmas Park man used fake bills to buy electronic swag

October 30, 2018 By Christina Carrega Brooklyn Daily Eagle

A Ditmas Park man was indicted on Monday for using homemade counterfeit money to swindle online retailers out of smartphones, a laptop and more. AP photo by Karel Navarro

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A repeat offender was indicted on Monday for duping online retailers, using homemade counterfeit money to purchase smartphones, a laptop and other electronics, prosecutors announced.

While out on work release from Lincoln Correctional Facility for a previous conviction of possession of fake money, Sajaad Prince of Ditmas Park was busted for paying Craigslist.com, Letgo.com and other online sellers over $5000 for two iPhone Xs, a MacBook, an Android Note 8 and a Samsung Galaxy 9.

Prince, 27, was charged with first-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument, criminal possession of a forgery device, fourth-degree grand larceny and related charges.

Prosecutors said Prince committed these crimes between February and June of this year and was identified through a “painstakingly” detailed electronic investigation.

Prince allegedly bought phone bombers through Pinger, a Textfree app, to contact the unsuspecting sellers. He was identified by investigators tracing the IP addresses used to access those phone numbers and then cross-referencing the IP addresses and associated email addresses against cell site and utilities records, said Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez in a press release.

In addition, a thorough analysis of the defendant’s social media accounts revealed that the defendant was frequently selling electronics and clothing for much lower than the retail price.

Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Danny Chun ordered Prince held on $250,000 cash bail or $150,000 bond and to return to court on Dec. 12, 2018. If convicted, he faces up to 15 years in prison.

Prince’s work release program allowed him to spend two nights per week in jail and the rest at home.