A 24-year-old man from New Jersey, identified as Jahil L. Nougues, was arrested by the Palmyra Police Department on Monday following an investigation into a money laundering scheme involving a local scholarship foundation.
The police were initially called to a local bank on December 6, 2022, after several checks amounting to over $10,000 were deposited and withdrawn, only to be later identified as fraudulent. These forged checks were traced back to a Palmyra Dollars for Scholars scholarship foundation account based in the Village of Palmyra.
After an extensive investigation, Palmyra Police identified two suspects believed to have orchestrated the scheme to defraud the scholarship organization. The stolen funds have since been recovered, and if found guilty, the defendants will be required to reimburse the bank for its losses.
Nougues was taken to the Palmyra Police Department for processing and charged with felony money laundering in the fourth degree, grand larceny in the fourth degree, and conspiracy in the fifth degree – a Class A misdemeanor. He was released with an appearance ticket and is scheduled to appear in the Village of Palmyra Court at a later date.
The second suspect, a college student, has been identified and Palmyra Police are working to secure their arrest. Once apprehended, the relationship between the defendants will be disclosed.
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