After $135K Stolen From Summit Bank, Newark Man Charged

SUMMIT, NJ — A Newark man has been arrested in connection with using fraudulent documents to obtain $135,000 in cash and cashier’s checks from a Summit bank, the Summit police and Union County prosecutor said Tuesday.

Warris Adenuga, 25, of Newark was charged with one count of second-degree identity theft, one count of second-degree receipt of stolen property, and two counts of third-degree possession of false government documents, said acting Union County Prosecutor Lyndsay V. Ruotolo and Summit Police Chief Andrew Bartolotti.

An investigation by the Summit Police Department revealed that the day before visiting Chase Bank on Summit Avenue last week, Adenuga allegedly had $150,000 fraudulently wired to a business account under his control from a bank in Florida, according to Union County Assistant Prosecutor Melissa Spagnoli, who is prosecuting the case.

During a pair of transactions at the Summit bank the next day, Adenuga received cashier’s checks in the amount of $100,000 and $20,000, along with $15,000 in cash, officials said.

The investigation revealed that Adenuga used a fraudulent United Kingdom driver’s license and passport to wire the money and open a business account.

Adenuga was arrested shortly after visiting the bank, but by then he was no longer in possession of the larger of the two cashier’s checks, police say.

Convictions on charges of this nature can result in sentences of 5 to 10 years in state prison.

Anyone with any information about the matter is being asked to contact Summit Police Department Detective Charlie Robertson at 908-277-9392 or Prosecutor’s Office Lt. Sofia Santos at 908-577-4256.

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