Police Arrest Man in Attempted Swindle

Harvard Police arrested a man Wednesday in Holyoke Center for attempting to swindle two Asian Harvard students out of $200.

But the man is not the suspect wanted for a string of similar crimes committed earlier this year, according to Lt. John F. Rooney of the Harvard University Police Department.

Rooney said that despite similarities between Wednesday's crime and a series of thefts directed toward Asians that began this summer, David Williams did not fit the description given by victims of the earlier crimes.

According to Rooney, Williams, 29, was arrested at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday when he allegedly attempted to con two students into giving him money out of a Holyoke Center bank.

Police would not release the names of the two alleged victims.

According to police, Williams allegedly approached the first student on the street, presenting him with a forged check for $800. Williams said he did not have an account at the bank, and asked the student to deposit the check in his own account, requesting $200. Williams then allegedly told the student he could keep the remaining $600.

An off-duty police officer, who overheard the conversation between Williams and the first student, put Williams under surveillance and arrested him when he repeated his request to a second student. The arresting officer was David J. Rourke of HUPD.

The transaction was similar to a series of conjobs perpetrated earlier this year by a Black manand woman who targeted Asian women, including fourHarvard students.

In those incidents, the con artists also bilkedtheir victims out of hundreds of dollars.

But Rooney said that yesterday's incident wasunrelated to the earlier crimes and warned thatthese suspects are still at large.

"The Asian community should be extremelycautious and contact us if they see anythingsuspicious," he said.

Williams, who has an extensive criminal record,has been charged with receiving stolen property,forgery and exchanging forged documents

The transaction was similar to a series of conjobs perpetrated earlier this year by a Black manand woman who targeted Asian women, including fourHarvard students.

In those incidents, the con artists also bilkedtheir victims out of hundreds of dollars.

But Rooney said that yesterday's incident wasunrelated to the earlier crimes and warned thatthese suspects are still at large.

"The Asian community should be extremelycautious and contact us if they see anythingsuspicious," he said.

Williams, who has an extensive criminal record,has been charged with receiving stolen property,forgery and exchanging forged documents