Forgery, larceny suspect arrested at Occupy Syracuse encampment

Syracuse (WSYR-TV) – Syracuse Police arrested a homeless man on Monday at Perseverance Park on forgery and petit larceny charges.

Police say 19-year-old Aaron Dean – who listed his address as the Rescue Mission at 120 Gifford St. – cashed a stolen and forged check at an M&T Bank location in Downtown Syracuse. According to police, the check belonged to an attorney whose office was burglarized right before the check was cashed.

Dean was charged with one count of criminal possession of a forged instrument in the second degree and petit larceny. He was not charged in the burglary.

Police say they obtained several surveillance photos showing Dean cashing the stolen check in the bank. Bank personnel didn’t recognize the person in the pictures, but an employee at the law office called police and told them he recognized the person as a participant in the Occupy Syracuse protest based on a photo in Syracuse’s Post Standard newspaper.

Dean was scheduled to be arraigned in Syracuse City Court on Wednesday, Feb. 1.