Michael Kocinski {BSO}
By Ryan Yousefi
A resident of Coconut Creek has been apprehended and is facing charges of first-degree grand theft following allegations that he manipulated and redirected a wire transfer exceeding $750,000 into his personal bank account.
On July 30, the Coconut Creek Police Department received an email from the Punta Gorda Police Department about a fraud investigation involving a Coconut Creek resident, later identified as Michael Kocinski, 68, of Coconut Creek.
According to the report, officers claimed Kocinski had received a fraudulent Suncoast Title wire transfer for $767,511.15 on February 28. The transaction was intended for a property payoff to a victim with a Capital One account; however, it had been altered and rerouted to a different Capital One account that belonged to Kocinski.
An investigation into the case managed to recover $486,547.06 of the misappropriated funds.
Further inquiries revealed that $250,000 of the stolen funds had been transferred on March 2 from Kocinski’s Capital One account to his personal TD account.
When questioned by authorities, Kocinski confirmed the transactions but redirected investigators to an unknown woman and provided a phone number to reach her for the “real story.” However, all attempts to talk to the woman were unsuccessful.
Officers arrested him on September 12 after he refused to cooperate and they were unable to locate the mystery woman.
Kocinski was transported to the Broward County Main Jail and later released after posting a $15,000 bond.
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