Bay Area authorities arrest missing Connecticut woman, 2 others in bank fraud case

By Tim Fang

Authorities in the San Francisco Bay Area have arrested three people from the East Coast on suspicion of identity theft in an alleged bank fraud case, including a woman who was reported missing several months ago.

The Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office said Monday that the suspects were arrested following a monthslong investigation into fraud targeting multiple financial institutions. Detectives with the sheriff’s office said they identified at least five suspects who traveled nearly 3,000 miles from New York to Sonoma County and were involved in fraudulent bank withdrawals.

On Thursday, the detectives conducted surveillance on the suspects as they allegedly made fraudulent withdrawals at several banks in the Bay Area. Three suspects were arrested without incident.

The sheriff’s office identified the suspects as Carleen McGeachie, Richard Logan and Heaven Richards. McGeachie, Logan and Richards were booked into the Sonoma County Jail on suspicion of bank fraud and identity theft.

Deputies did not say where in New York the suspects were from.

McGeachie was previously reported missing by authorities in New Haven, Connecticut on Nov. 11, more than two months after she was last seen by her family. Police in New Haven confirmed to CBS affiliate WFSB in Hartford that the woman arrested in Sonoma County was the missing woman.

Following their arrests, a search warrant was also served at a hotel in Vacaville where the suspects were staying. According to deputies, more than $15,000 in cash was recovered, along with fraudulent identification cards and credit cards. A search of a suspect vehicle also yielded evidence in the case.

The sheriff’s office said McGeachie, Logan and Richards were booked with no bail.

Jail records show all three suspects were scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday.