On Thursday, Dec. 12, United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha announced the indictment of Alec Tahir Baker, 60, of Corona, Calif., charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering, bank fraud, and aggravated identity theft.

Of the nearly $9 million Baker stole from his victims, more than $750,000 initially came from the Town of  Bristol.

According to the indictment, Baker did not work alone. A co-conspirator sent phishing emails that, once opened, allowed the criminal network access to recipients’ computers. From there, the alleged fraudsters were able to transfer funds from victims’ bank accounts to accounts owned or controlled by Baker.

The indictment also alleges that a member of the conspiracy would email employees of the victim companies by posing as a vendor seeking payment, and then provide the employee with a new bank account, controlled by Baker and co-conspirators. Victims were led to believe they were paying their vendors, but the funds were directed to Baker’s control.

In all, Baker opened more than 40 bank accounts in his name and in the name of one of more than a dozen companies that he created, in order to receive fraudulently obtained funds. Soon after funds were received into his accounts, Baker allegedly withdrew funds into separate accounts, including cryptocurrency accounts. The conspirators also transferred funds between accounts in different names, concealing the origin of the funds.

In total, individuals and businesses were defrauded of at least $8,854,243, with some $7,649,876 going directly into Baker’s control.

Bristol caught in the web

The indictment alleges that on Jan. 18, 2023, a member of the conspiracy tapped into the town’s computer network, and over the next several days, the conspirators wired money from the Town coffers. The Town almost immediately discovered a discrepancy on its daily financial statement and notified their banking institution of the error. It was discovered that the Town was defrauded in the amount of approximately $750,000.

The majority of these funds were recovered, however approximately $250,000 remains uncollected.

According to Town Administrator Steven Contente, additional action is being taken to recover the stolen funds.

“The Town is pursuing remedies, including restitution, in the ongoing criminal case. Potential civil action against the banking institution and others will help to recover the remaining funds,” Contente said. “The taxpayers of Bristol are the real victims. I appreciate the efforts of the Bristol Police who began the investigation and other agencies who are bringing these cyber criminals to justice.”

Note that no personal information of staff or taxpayers was compromised; the Town has since implemented additional cybersecurity measures.

The ongoing matter is being investigated by the FBI with the cooperation of the Bristol Police Department; Genesee County, New York Sheriff’s Office; Baltimore County, MD Police Department; Hartland, Wisconsin Police Department; and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas.

Due to the ongoing investigation and pursuant legal actions, the Town did not provide additional comments.

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