Lynbrook police arrest Brooklyn man and woman for funeral fraud scheme involving child

A man and woman from Brooklyn were arrested by the Lynbrook Police Department in connection to a scheme in which they lied about raising money for a child’s funeral and accepted cash donations.

On March 3 at 6:40 p.m., Brittney Schmidt, 30, and Vincent Fina, 29, were arrested and charged with a scheme to defraud and endangering the welfare of a child.

Schmidt and Fina were seen entering and exiting several businesses on Merrick Road in Lynbrook and asking for money on Feb. 21. When LPD officers confronted them about their suspicious activity, they said that they were collecting donations for a child’s funeral, according to police.

After an investigation, however, detectives determined that the boy that was named was still alive. They were also able to identify the victims of the fraud.

The police are now asking anyone who may have been a victim of this fraud to call their local precinct.

Schmidt and Fina were arraigned on March 4 at First District Court in Hempstead.