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FAIRFIELD, Conn. A Westport man has been charged with defrauding a Fairfield resident out of $34,000, police say. Mark Hayward, 52, of Conte Place, Westport, took investments for a plan to sell memorabilia with Yankee Stadium dirt, but failed to deliver returns, according to the police report.
The victim told police that he began a working relationship with Hayward and his company, Mark One Group LLC, in 2008. The two were to sell key chains containing dirt from the demolished Yankee Stadium. Steiner Sports Memorabilia, the company that manufactures the items, told investigators that they had no deal with Hayward, and that a check issued to the company was returned for insufficient funds, according to the police report.
The victim made six payments to Hayward totaling $34,000 in 2008 and 2009. Hayward promised a 20 percent return on the investment, police say. But in 2009 Hayward began delaying payments to the investor, citing cash flow problems. He wrote a check to the victim in late summer 2009, but the bank informed the Fairfielder that the account had insufficient funds to cash the check, he told police.
Hayward showed the victim letters from Barclays Bank explaining that more than $1 million in pending deposits were registered with the bank but awaiting clearance. Investigators worked with the United Kingdom-based bank and found that the documents had been forged, according to the police report.
Hayward was arrested at his home Friday afternoon and charged with first-degree larceny and third-degree forgery. He was released on a $2,500 bond, and is due in court on Jan. 23.
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