Rutherford NJ Teenager Faces Federal Charges for Creating Fake Identity and Falsely Reporting Kidnapping

By Travis Tormey posted in Fraud charges on Saturday, September 28, 2013

A Rutherford NJ teenager has been charged with using social media to create a fictitious high school girl who he then reported to U.S. officials in Moldova had been kidnapped for a $50,000.00 ransom.

According to federal authorities, 18-year-old Andriy Mykhaylivskyy assumed the fictitious girl’s identity and engaged in conversations (and even a fake relationship) with another NJ high school student.

When the other student also reported the fictitious girl’s kidnapping to U.S. officials in Bulgaria, it set off an extensive manhunt by both U.S. federal agents and Bulgarian law enforcement. The manhunt included Bulgarian border police searching incoming passenger records.

After it was discovered that Mr. Mykhaylivskyy had created the girl’s identity, he was arrested and charged with making false statements to a U.S. official.

At a hearing in federal court in Newark NJ, Mr. Mykhaylivskyy did not enter a plea. If convicted, he could be sentenced to as many as five (5) years in federal prison.

For more information, see the NJ.com article entitled “Bergen County Man Charged with Making False Statements to U.S. Embassy in Moldova.


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