Overview

• Kiryas Joel Public Safety and New York State Police arrested two suspects Monday evening at a Monroe hotel following a tip from a local resident.
• The men claimed to be federal agents enforcing a nonexistent arrest warrant and demanded $13,500 in cash to resolve the fabricated charges.
• The intended victim delivered an envelope packed with toilet paper, allowing troopers to intercept and detain the suspects near Route 208 and Museum Village Road.
• State police are now examining whether the pair are connected to a larger fraud ring that has targeted Orthodox communities from Williamsburg to Lakewood.
• A Yiddish-language warning issued two weeks ago by Kiryas Joel Public Safety has generated dozens of reports of suspicious calls as community awareness efforts expand.