Goshen police arrest man accused of fake basketball team fundraiser

Goshen police arrested a Middletown resident accused of taking hundreds of dollars from people who thought they were donating to Goshen High School JV basketball outside CVS on Clowes Avenue.

Village of Goshen Chief of Police Ryan Rich said the man was arrested after returning to the Goshen CVS on April 16, where he had been soliciting money again. Rich said the suspect was charged with larceny and scheme to defraud after police connected the fundraising pitch to an April 8 complaint from a person who said she had donated to someone standing outside the store and asking for support for the team.

Investigators believed several people had given both cash and money through Zelle, and the suspect had no connection to Goshen, Rich said. In the earlier case, one victim told police the man appeared to have hundreds of dollars in cash in hand.

The CVS solicitation was not affiliated with any GCSD school club or organization, and the district warned residents to be cautious about sending money through Zelle, Cash App, Venmo or PayPal when checking whether a donation request is legitimate. District officials also urged anyone affected to contact the Village of Goshen Police Department at 845-294-7988.

The arrest followed a second related case outside the same CVS on April 11, when police arrested an 18-year-old man from New York City after officers were alerted to a flyer that used a fake basketball team name, logo and QR code. He was charged with attempted scheme to defraud.

Rich called the pattern a “trending scam” involving out-of-town people using fake paperwork and merchandise, including items such as a varsity hat, in busy public places.