A 38-year-old Brooklyn man accused of draining $89,000 from a Westport resident's bank account has been extradited to Connecticut and now faces felony charges of larceny and identity theft. John Hammonds was arraigned in Stamford Superior Court this week, nearly two years after the alleged scheme first came to light.
The case began in January 2025, when a Westport complainant reported being the victim of bank fraud, according to DoingItLocal. Investigators determined that someone had made an unauthorized, in-person wire transfer of $89,000 from the victim's account to an unaffiliated account, as reported by Patch. Police allege the transaction was carried out at an M&T Bank branch in New York, with the suspect representing himself as the victim to pull off the transfer.
Through their investigation, Westport police developed Hammonds as a suspect in the case and sought and obtained an arrest warrant for him, per the same account. For more than a year, though, he remained out of reach of Connecticut authorities.
Tracked Down in New Jersey, Then Extradited
The break in the case came in August, when New Jersey authorities advised Westport police that Hammonds was in custody and scheduled for extradition. The station's report notes that on Aug. 20, the department was notified by authorities in New Jersey that Hammonds was in custody and was scheduled to be extradited to Connecticut.
Roughly five weeks later, on Sept. 28, Westport detectives traveled to the Union County Sheriff's Office in Elizabeth, New Jersey, where Hammonds was being held, and brought him back to Connecticut. Once in custody here, he was formally charged with larceny in the first degree and identity theft in the third degree, the same report states.
Arraignment and Bond Dispute
Hammonds was transported to Stamford Superior Court the next day, Sept. 29, for his arraignment. Accounts of his bond differ: DoingItLocal reports that the court set bond at $100,000, which Hammonds was unable to post, while Patch reports that he remains held in lieu of $70,000 bail. Patch also reports that his next court date is scheduled for Nov. 9.
Under Connecticut law, identity theft in the first degree is classified as a Class B felony, according to the Connecticut General Assembly's penal code. It was not immediately clear from available reporting whether the $89,000 taken from the victim's account has been recovered, and no statement from Hammonds or an attorney representing him has been made public.
