Woman Charged With $218K Fraud in Fairfield

FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The owner of a Fairfield deli was charged Thursday with defrauding more than $218,000 from a Fairfield family.

Carmella Jamshidian, 54, of Trumbull was accused of funneling the money to her bank accounts under the guise of helping the alleged victims with their finances.

The alleged victims were a group of three Fairfield siblings, all in their 60s, police said. The three came into a large inheritance from a wealthy relative in 2007. The three were regular customers at CJ’s Deli, which is owned and operated by Jamshidian, police said. During their visits, she learned of the windfall and offered to help them manage their affairs.

Jamshidian helped the three set up accounts at People’s United Bank, which she also had access, police said. She also offered them a line of credit at her restaurant and drove them to the bank to handle all of their bill payments, police said. Investigators said she used that access to transfer $218,404 into her own bank accounts, according to police reports.

People’s United Bank’s fraud detection division contacted the Fairfield Probate Court and Fairfield Police in 2009 after noticing the transactions. Probate Judge Daniel Caruso froze the accounts at the time, and the victims were put on assistance programs while police investigated.

Fairfield Police Detective Jason Takacs and Vic Sharma, an account investigator with the Chief State’s Attorney’s office took over the case at the time and filed for an arrest warrant this week. Jamshidian was arrested Thursday and charged with first-degree larceny by scheme. Takacs said Friday the case is not entirely closed.

“I’m pretty sure there’s other victims out there,” Takacs said. “I would encourage them, if that is the case, to come forward.”

Anyone who believes they might be or might know a victim of similar alleged fraud, should contact Takacs at 203-254-4840. 

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