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The disgraced transit cop from Woodhaven, who authorities say robbed a Manhattan Sovereign Bank branch twice last year appears to have had help.
Christina Dasrath, 20, a teller at the bank, confessed to investigators last Thursday that she disclosed information about the bank’s internal security protocols to the 21-year-old cop, Christian Torres, and met with him after the June and November robberies to collect her share of the loot.
Torres, an exemplary cadet who was on the force less than a year and a full fledged transit cop for only four months, was arrested in Muhlenberg, Pa. on April 10 after allegedly robbing a Sovereign Bank branch there of $113,000.
Police said he confessed to the two Manhattan robberies, from which he made off with more than $118,000, allegedly used to buy a new car and a diamond engagement ring for his fiancee.
Torres’ lawyer, Paul Missan, accused Dasrath of being the “mastermind” behind the robberies, according to published reports. He was quoted as saying, “She set the whole thing up.”
Dasrath’s court-appointed lawyer, Hugh Mundy, said Dasrath was afraid to go to the police because Torres was a police officer. He denied any knowledge of Dasrath’s relationship with the young cop, but admitted that both had attended John Jay College of Criminal Justice.
Dasrath was charged with robbery, conspiracy to commit bank fraud and making false statements to the FBI, and released on a $250,000 bond.
As of last week, Torres was still waiting in a Berks County, Pa. jail cell to be taken into federal custody. A federal detainer was placed on his $1 million bail, keeping him in jail even if the bail is posted.
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5 years ago
