Man Accused of $3300 Fraudulent Withdrawal Attempt

Something seemed off when the man couldn't spell his own name.

For the record, it's Michael Serulle (32, of New York City). But when an officer confronted him at HSBC Bank on Wednesday, that wasn't the story he gave, according to police.

It began when Serulle entered the bank at 151 Post Road, approached the counter, and attempted to make a withdrawal of $3300 from an account under the name Alan Dechiario.

Bank employees were immediately suspicious, however, due to a bulletin from a Norwalk HSBC branch which described a fraudulent withdrawal attempt earlier that day. The account number had been the same in both instances, and the description of suspect from the first incident—white, scruffy, and wearing a baseball cap—fit Serulle.

The bank notified police, who arrived to find Serulle as the lone customer in the branch. As an officer began to interrogate him, he became nervous and "visibly shaken," a police official said.

When police asked Serulle for identification, he furnished an apparently fraudulent ID with Dechiario's name on it. The officer inspected it, asked Serulle if it was legitimate, and instructed him to spell the name on the card, which he could not.

Serulle was arrested and charged with interfering with an officer, criminal impersonation, second degree forgery, third degree identity theft, and illegal use of a credit card. He appeared in court June 24 and is being held on $50,000 bond.

Serulle subsequently told police that he was an alcoholic who had been compelled to make the withdrawals after he was unable to pay back money borrowed from acquaintances in New York. He said the lenders drove him to the area to recoup the funds, giving him the fake ID and completed deposit slip to carry out the ruse.

Serulle refused to identify the men, however, and a police official said the department does not regard his account as credible.