Public Safety Report: Waltham resident loses money in employment scam

A Waltham resident lost $21,366 in an employment scam involving cryptocurrency.

On Aug. 18 at 2:03 p.m., police responded to a report of a past larceny at a Lexington Street residence. Officers learned that the reporting party had sent money from a Bitcoin account to someone who had promised to provide a remote employment opportunity. 

Over the course of four days, the scammer convinced the victim on the WhatsApp messaging application to send money through a Bitcoin account. The incident is still under investigation.

Additional public safety actions

A summary of public safety activity from Aug. 14 to Aug. 20 is as follows:

On Aug. 14 at 3:42 p.m., police responded to a report of an identity theft at a Main Street residence. Officers learned that the reporting party had lost $2,300 due to a scam involving a fraudulent letter claiming to be from the Department of Unemployment Assistance. Officers advised the victim to file a fraud report with the Federal Trade Commission.

On Aug. 15 at 8:44 a.m., Margo Mobiley, 60, homeless, of Waltham, was arrested on a warrant for two counts of trespassing.

At 5:52 p.m. police responded to a motor vehicle crash at the intersection of Dartmouth and South streets. A vehicle travelling westbound on Dartmouth Street failed to stop at a stop sign, causing a collision with another vehicle at the intersection. Officers cited one of the involved parties for failing to stop at a stop sign.

At 6:39 p.m. officers located a child near a Greenwood residence who had been missing out of Acton. Officers reunited the child with their family.

Thomas MacDonald, 74, of 190 Moody St., was arrested at 8:20 p.m. for operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol, unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, failing to register his motor vehicle and leaving the scene of property damage.

On Aug. 16 at 3:26 p.m., police responded to a report of a break-in at a Beaver Street residence. While remotely viewing a security camera, the homeowner allegedly saw a man unknown to him enter his residence. Upon arrival, officers saw Rolando Gala, 43, of 56 Fenwood Road, standing in the driveway of the property with the front door of the home left ajar. Gala matched the description given by the homeowner. Upon seeing the police, Gala immediately walked in the other direction before the officers eventually arrested him. While Gala was getting booked at the police station, officers found what was believed to be cocaine, crack and meth in his possession. Gala was charged with vandalizing property, felony breaking and entering and two counts of possession of a class B drug with the intent to distribute.

On Aug. 17 at 2:38 a.m., police responded to a report of a larceny at a Sharon Street residence. Officers learned that a woman had allegedly stolen the reporting party’s luggage that was left outside the house. The clothing items in the luggage were estimated to be worth $500 to $600. The incident is still under investigation.

Jose Burgos-Dominguez, 25, homeless, was arrested at 2:41 a.m. for assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and assault and battery.

At 9:12 a.m. firefighters responded to a report of a fire near Boston Kebab at 146 Lexington St. The blaze was a small mulch fire, which firefighters subsequently extinguished.

Luis Barrera, 41, of 133 Center Road, Shirley, was arrested at 2:20 p.m. for motor vehicle breaking and entering, malicious damage to a motor vehicle and larceny under $1,200. On Aug. 18 Barrera pleaded not guilty to these charges.

At 7:03 p.m. police responded to a report of a larceny at a Newton Street residence. Officers learned that the incident was actually a misunderstanding between colleagues over a purse that had not been returned to its owner. 

On Aug. 18 at 2:49 a.m., Danielle Allain, 37, of 45 Marguerite Ave., Waltham, was arrested on a warrant for possession of a class B drug, failing to identify herself to a police officer, failing to keep right for oncoming motor vehicles, malicious damage to a motor vehicle and assault and battery on a police officer.

At 1:56 p.m. police responded to a report of a larceny at Hyatt House Boston/Waltham at 54 Fourth Ave. Upon arrival, police learned that a hotel employee had been scammed into sending money over the phone to someone claiming to be from Hyatt House’s corporate support team. The scam resulted in a loss of $2,100 for the hotel.

At 3:40 p.m. police responded to a report of an assault at The Community Day Center of Waltham at 16 Felton St. Officers learned that two people had gotten into an argument after one of them had moved the other’s clothes without asking. During the argument, James Hoover, 54, of 27 Lexington St., Waltham, allegedly punched and kicked the other person. Hoover was subsequently arrested for assault and battery of someone 60 or older, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon (for kicking the other person with a shoe) and possession of a class B drug.

On Aug. 19 at 10:23 a.m., police responded to a past motor vehicle break-in at a College Farm Road residence. Upon arrival, officers learned that the resident’s motor vehicle had allegedly been broken into and $180 in cash and the resident’s driver’s license were missing. The incident is still under investigation.

At 1:57 p.m. someone went to the Waltham Police Station at 155 Lexington St. to report a larceny. Officers learned that the reporting party had been scammed out of $4,900 after they had tried to pay someone to ship items to family members outside of the United States. The reporting party decided to file a report after they learned that these items never made it to the family members. According to a police spokesperson, officers located a suspect and sent them a summons for larceny over $1,200.

On Aug. 20 at 1:05 a.m., police responded to a report of a suspicious incident at a Hardy Pond Road residence. The reporting party confronted a man who had allegedly entered his car and had emptied the contents of its glove compartment. William Childs, 41, of 211 College Farm Road, stated that he was just “trash picking” before he fled on foot down the street. Around an hour later, a Hibiscus Avenue resident observed a man sleeping on his front steps before running into a nearby walking path. Officers found Childs in a nearby wooded area, who matched the description given by the resident who reported the motor vehicle break-in. He was subsequently arrested for two counts of receiving a stolen credit card, felony breaking and entering and trespassing.

At 10:53 a.m. firefighters responded to a pulled fire alarm at Adden Energy at 1432 Main St. An employee had accidentally leaked trace amounts of lithium phosphorous chloride powder, a hazardous substance. Firefighters ventilated and evacuated the building.