A Westbury employee followed an email instruction to reroute payments to a new Bank of America account and made three transfers totaling $161,938.83 between October 12 and November 30, 2022. The company discovered the payments had been diverted in January 2023 when the intended vendor reported unpaid invoices, revealing the company email had been compromised. After a more-than-three-year investigation, 51-year-old Dwayne Stewart of Oregon was arrested, extradited and arraigned on September 4, 2026, on a second-degree grand larceny charge. Authorities warned the public about Business Email Compromise scams and urged anyone who may be a victim to contact the Nassau County Fraud and Forgery Section.
Employee Sent $161,938.83 To Fraudulent Bank Account After Email Hack — Suspect Arrested
Image Credit: Nassau County Sheriff's Office
A New York company employee followed an email instructing the business to send payments to a new Bank of America account. Over several weeks the employee completed three transfers totaling $161,938.83 — payments that police later say were diverted to an unauthorized recipient after the company’s email system was compromised.
What Happened
According to the Nassau County Police Department, the grand larceny occurred in Westbury between October 12 and November 30, 2022. The worker received an email asking that all online payment transfers be deposited into a newly provided Bank of America account and complied, executing three transfers that together amounted to $161,938.83.
Discovery And Investigation
The misdirection was not discovered until January 2023, when the vendor that should have been paid contacted the company about outstanding invoices. The company then learned its email server had been compromised and reported the incident to police. The case was investigated by the Nassau County Police Department’s Electronic Squad Fraud and Forgery Section together with the Nassau County District Attorney’s Major Financial Frauds Bureau.
Arrest And Charges
After a more than three-year investigation, detectives identified 51-year-old Dwayne Stewart of Oregon as a suspect. The Nassau County Fugitive Squad located and arrested Stewart in Oregon without incident, extraditing him to Nassau County. Stewart was charged with second-degree grand larceny and was arraigned in Nassau County Court on September 4, 2026. Authorities have not released details about how investigators connected Stewart to the compromised email account or the diverted funds.
Takeaways And Advice
Police used the arrest announcement to warn residents and businesses to be vigilant for scams, particularly Business Email Compromise (BEC) schemes in which fraudsters impersonate vendors or executives and request changes to payment instructions. The department urged people to remind vulnerable family members, friends and neighbors about common fraud tactics and to verify any unexpected changes to payment details by phone or other trusted channels.
Anyone who believes they may have been a victim of fraud is encouraged to contact the Nassau County Fraud and Forgery Section. Callers can provide tips or report suspected scams anonymously.
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