(Story updated 7/17 at 9pm)
A NYPD officer has been arrested for stealing more that $85,000 from the accounts of elderly customers of a local Wells Fargo bank.
Yeison Rodriguez-Acosta, 27, was arraigned today before Judge Valerie Livingston in Rye City Court and charged 9 Counts of Grand Larceny in the Third Degree (D felony), 9 Counts of Identity Theft in the First Degree (D Felony), 2 Counts of Scheme to Defraud in the First Degree (E Felony), 4 Counts of Identity Theft in the Second Degree (E Felony), 1 Count of Grand Larceny in the Fourth Degree (E Felony), 1 Counts of Identity Theft in Third Degree (A Misdemeanor), and 4 Counts of Petit Larceny (A Misdemeanor).
“The defendant’s brazen conduct, as alleged, does a disservice to his colleagues in law enforcement, who wear the badge honorably and took the same oath to protect and serve,” said Westchester District Attorney Susan Cacace. “My administration will work to ensure that Mr. Rodriguez Acosta is held accountable for his alleged crimes and that the victims in this case are made whole.”
Rye police made the arrest on Wednesday at the 48th precinct in the Bronx where Rodriguez-Acosta works. At the arraignment on Thursday, Rodriguez-Acosta said he lived on Sherwood Avenue in Yonkers with his girlfriend, although prosecutors said he is affiliated with more than one address. Judge Livingston released Rodriguez-Acosta on his own recognizance after requiring him to surrender his passport, to agree to daily call-ins and to sign orders of protections to not approach any of his victims. NYPD’s Internal Affairs Bureau had already taken his firearm.
Rye Public Safety Commissioner Michael Kopy said: “I commend the outstanding work of the Rye Police Department detectives, working in close coordination with the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office. Results such as today’s arraignment help keep communities safe and, in this case, remove an individual who is charged with scheming to defraud numerous individuals, not only in Rye but in the greater Westchester County area. We urge anyone who may feel that they have been victimized to reach out to our department or the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office.”
The defendant, a sworn member of the NYPD, is accused of accessing the accounts of Wells Fargo customers and stealing money from their accounts while working as the branch operations coordinator at the Rye Brook Wells Fargo Branch. The thefts continued even after Rodriguez-Acosta left the branch to attend the October NYPD Academy. In total there are 14 victims, 12 of which are over the age of 75. Four identified victims declined to participate in the investigation due to their age which would have raised the total number of victims to 19.
The ten month investigation was run by the Rye Police Department with the assistance of the Westchester County District Attorney’s office. It revealed Rodriguez-Acosta accessed both the checking and savings account of his victims. Rodriguez-Acosta used the ill-gotten proceeds to make payments on everything from his 2024 BMW X6 lease to paying off credit cards for both himself and family members to even an exotic Caribbean vacation. Fraudulent activity on the victim’s accounts was still occurring as late as June 13, 2025. Rodriguez-Acosta began working in the Rye Brook Branch located at 243 South Ridge Street in March of 2024. The investigation is still ongoing and authorities say they anticipate the possibility of additional charges to come.
The defendant was released on his own recognizance and is due back in Rye City Court on September 30, 2025, at 9:00am. This case is being prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Emily Rowe-Smith of the Economic Crimes Bureau. Rye PD reminds you that charges are merely accusations and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless found guilty.
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