Text size: increase text sizedecrease text size Woman faces 5 years in car-scam robberies

The
woman who masterminded a Craigslist robbery scam, advertising luxury
cars for sale at bargain prices then robbing prospective buyers in
Baldwin and Freeport, will face 5 years in prison, Nassau prosecutors
said Thursday.



Agnes Banach, 18, of Maspeth, Queens, and her seven co-conspirators
have pleaded guilty to an array of robbery, conspiracy and grand
larceny charges, Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice said.



"Ms. Banach's violent actions have left her no other option but to
serve time in prison," Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice
said in a statement. "We were prepared to take this case to trial
before she took responsibility for her actions."



Banach first placed a Craigslist ad on Nov. 26, 2007, claiming she had
a 2006 Porsche to sell and when a buyer responded she told him to come
see the vehicle in Freeport, Rice said. She told the victim her name
was Linda.

The victim, accompanied by his wife, brought a down payment of $4,800
and met her at an agreed-upon Freeport address. Using a prearranged
signal Banach dropped her keys to summon four co-conspirators who
attacked and robbed the victim and his wife of their money and a
BlackBerry, Rice said.



Following a second, similar Craigslist ad for a 2002 Porsche on Dec. 6,
2007, Banach told the victims, a father and son, that her name was
Lucy. She told them to bring $22,000 to a Baldwin residence as a down
payment on the car, and as the son knocked on the door of the
residence, his father was attacked by one of Banach's accomplices. He
repeatedly punched the father, displayed what appeared to be a firearm
and robbed the father of $100, prosecutors said.



Banach pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree robbery, four counts
of second-degree robbery, two counts of grand larceny, two counts of
conspiracy, and two counts of attempted robbery. She will be sentenced
Jan. 22.



Co-conspirator Khaliek Owens, 17, of Brooklyn has pleaded guilty to
first-degree robbery and is scheduled to be sentenced Friday.



Christopher Blanco, 19, of the Bronx, pleaded guilty to two counts of
second-degree robbery and is scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 7.



The other five, Lavainna Seaton, 17; Chad Greaves, 18; Ronique Simpson,
19, all of Brooklyn; Wally Arias, 19, of the Bronx; and George
Obanyoun, 20, of Inwood, are scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 18 on
robbery, attempted robbery, grand larceny and conspiracy charges.