By Laura Hayes — [email protected]
Concord police arrested a Lynn man as part of an alleged racket that involved using fake IDs to cash close to a quarter-million dollars in checks and money orders at Citizens Bank branches.
William Shaw, 66, was arrested March 11 at Citizens Bank at 97 Lowell Road and charged with forging/misusing an RMV document; uttering a false order for money; possession of a Class B drug; larceny by check under $1,200; and misleading a police investigation.
In a report, Detective Derek Rodriguez said that a Citizens Bank investigator told him “they have been following this individual since September of 2024, and that the total loss so far is $243,850 in checks and money orders.”
A Citizens Bank investigator told Concord police that the FBI’s Boston office was also investigating. Police notified a special agent, who confirmed Shaw was a suspect.
A shifting story
In the early afternoon of March 11, police responded to a report of attempted fraud at Citizens. Shaw told an officer he was trying to deposit money orders he had gotten from the post office, police said.
“Shaw’s recollection of events kept changing throughout our conversation,” Officer Samantha Simpson wrote in her report.
The branch manager reportedly recognized Shaw from a company email alert about a suspected fraudster. The manager told police that Shaw was trying to deposit four money orders totaling $120 using a Rhode Island driver’s license issued to a “Philip Wallis.”
Police said the license was not valid and that Shaw matched a photo of a suspect in an incident in Sutton. Fingerprints confirmed his identity as Shaw, who police said has a lengthy criminal history in Massachusetts and beyond.
Shaw also had four grams of a white powder believed to be cocaine, police said.
A Citizens Bank investigator told police they had been looking for the suspect and had documented seven victims in the schemes.
The bank investigator said Shaw usually teamed with a woman who was arrested by Gloucester police in October. The two were “typically dropped off a few blocks away by a group of people and then sent into the banks to cash checks or money orders,” the investigator told police.
Authorities believe the criminal group got information from a terminated Citizens Bank employee who had access to 140 accounts. Those accounts have been monitored to see if they have become compromised, the investigator said.
The FBI and Concord Police declined to comment, citing the ongoing investigation. “As soon as we became aware of this incident, we addressed the matter immediately,” a Citizens Bank spokesperson told The Concord Bridge.
Shaw was held on $20,000 cash bail or a $200,000 bond. He’s due back in Concord District Court on April 7. His attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
