Man posed as Trump's family to steal thousands from supporters, prosecutors sayA man accused of impersonating members of former President Donald Trump's family to steal thousands from his supporters was arrested on Tuesday morning, federal prosecutors said.
Joshua Hall, 22, of Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, was taken into custody on one count each of wire fraud and identity theft, the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Southern District of New York said in a statement. He appeared in court for the first time on Tuesday.
Hall allegedly raised funds for a pro-Trump reelection organization that did not exist through the "creation and use of social media accounts bearing those family members' names and photographs," according to the criminal complaint.
"Hall used those accounts to amass more than 100,000 followers on social media and obtain media coverage," the complaint said. He allegedly posed as several members of the former president's family, including his brother, Robert, and his youngest son, Barron, The New York Times reported last year.
Instead of funding the purported reelection organization, prosecutors alleged Hall used the money raised for "his own personal living expenses."
"In total, the scheme devised and executed by Hall yielded thousands of dollars from hundreds of victims located throughout the United States, including in the Southern District of New York," according to the statement.
Investigators said Hall created the numerous fake social media accounts between September 2019 and November 2020. While impersonating Barron in August, Hall allegedly said in a tweet: "Josh is an amazing patriot who is doing tremendous things for our great country. He has my COMPLETE AND TOTAL ENDORSEMENT!'"...................
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/man-posed-trump-s-family-steal-thousands-supporters-prosecutors-say-n1270089
