Police: New York man tried to buy phone in Murrysville with fake ID

A New York man is in the Westmoreland County Prison without bail after police said he tried to buy a cell phone in Murrysville with a fraudulent identification card.

Orlando David Castillo-Paulino, 20, of Yonkers, allegedly tried to buy an iPhone 11 Pro Max for $1,100 at a Verizon Wireless store when police were called after an employee became suspicious, according to court papers. Castillo-Paulino had an identification card with his photo on it, but the rest of the identifying information belonged to a Bensalem man who has a Verizon account.

Police weren’t able to verify the identification card and eventually learned Castillo-Paulino’s identity, according to court papers. He had seven business cards from other Verizon stores in Pennsylvania. Employees at the Murrysville location told investigators they were alerted that a man matching his description was committing fraud at other stores in the area.

Castillo-Paulino is charged with access device fraud, false identification to law enforcement, identity theft and other offenses. He did not have an attorney listed in online court records. A preliminary hearing is set for Tuesday.