NY man with 100-page record held on identity fraud charges
May 18—PEABODY — A New York City man with a 100-page criminal history that stretches back to the 1970s and across eight different states is now facing identity fraud and larceny charges on the North Shore.
John Mendola, 63, who also lists a Fort Lauderdale, Florida, address, made at least two trips to Massachusetts earlier this year, in February and again in April.
He was arrested during that second visit, on April 7, after police say he visited multiple branches of TD Bank, cashing what turned out to be forged checks in the name of a Long Island resident, according to a police report.
The cases were investigated by detectives from Peabody, Beverly and Middleton police.
Mendola is being held on a total of $165,000 bail on charges filed in both Salem and Peabody district courts, following his arraignment Monday in Salem District Court. He has pleaded not guilty in both sets of cases.
But after his April 7 arrest, Mendola told police he was in need of money when he met a man he says he does not know. He said he was photographed and then, that morning, was picked up near his apartment in Harlem and given a Connecticut license with his photo on it, but with the name of the victim — and an address belonging to a third person.
That morning he went into branches in Middleton, Topsfield, Beverly and West Peabody with fake checks and the fake ID, police say. He had success cashing checks for $6,500 in Middleton and $5,000 in Beverly, but tellers in Topsfield and West Peabody turned him down, according to a police report.
He then headed to another branch, near the Northshore Mall in Peabody, where tellers were already on alert due to the number of other transactions he'd tried that day.
When he attempted to cash another check, the branch manager called police.
Subsequently, police got a call from a detective for a Bergen County, New Jersey, police department, where a resident had lost his wallet and then discovered nearly $40,000 withdrawn from his bank account back in February — transactions that also took place on the North Shore.
The fake checks had been written to appear as though they came from law offices.
Mendola's public defender told a judge he has been diagnosed with bipolar and antisocial personality disorders, and he has high blood pressure, according to the judge's findings.
But Judge Jean Curran, who set bail in one of the Peabody cases, also expressed some skepticism as to Mendola's account of being picked up by an unknown person and driven to Massachusetts, citing his lengthy record of similar conduct.
Mendola is set to appear by way of video at the next status hearing in the case on June 10.
Courts reporter Julie Manganis can be reached at 978-338-2521, by email at jmanganis@salemnews.com or on Twitter at @SNJulieManganis
