Troy Koubek, 29, of 87-09 107th Ave., was charged…
By Alex Davidson
An Ozone Park man was accused July 8 of stealing $80,000 from an elderly woman with cancer and then using those funds for personal investments and his rent, the Nassau County district attorney said.
Troy Koubek, 29, of 87-09 107th Ave., was charged with grand larceny by Nassau DA Denis Dillon, who said the defendant promised to invest the $80,000 for the woman, but instead put the money in his own private bank account.
Koubek, who was arraigned July 8 in First District Court in Hempstead, L.I., faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted, Dillon said. “The victim, a 79-year-old woman diagnosed with cancer, received approximately $100,000 from the sale of her Baldwin house following the death of her husband,” Dillon said. “When she confided in the defendant, who rented an apartment in the same house as her… he told her that he worked in the securities industry and offered to invest the remaining $80,000 for her.”
Dillon said the victim was penalized by her bank for withdrawing funds early, which accounted for the loss of an additional $20,000.
The Nassau district attorney said Koubek told the victim she would earn $900 a month from her investments, an amount that would increase to $1,200 a month. Dillon said the victim gave Koubek a check for $80,000 on Feb. 28, 2001, which he said the defendant deposited into a private account, Exit Records, Inc.
The unidentified victim received monthly checks for $1,200 until May 2002, when she requested statements on her investments, the DA said. Koubek, however, said those records were destroyed when the World Trade Center was destroyed Sept. 11, 2001, according to Dillon.
After two checks to the victim bounced between April and May 2002, the victim filed a complaint with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the DA said. Koubek was last seen by the victim on June 27, 2002, according to Dillon, when he moved out of his apartment.
“Between Feb. 6, 2001, when the account was opened, and July 31, 2001, when it was closed due to insufficient funds and an overdraft, there were numerous ATM withdrawals and personal checks drawn on the account,” Dillon said.
“These included rent payment, payments to Allstate Insurance, lease payments to BMW Financial services, a $17,000 deposit into a Charles Schwab account, two checks totaling $11,000 to a former girlfriend of the defendant, and numerous checks cashed by the defendant himself,” the DA said.
Reach reporter Alex Davidson by e-mail at TimesLedger@aol.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 156
