A 29-year-old FDNY EMT has been indicted by a grand jury for allegedly taking a debit card from a 79-year-old woman's purse during an ambulance call and using it to buy champagne, along with Buffalo Wild Wings and pizza, among other items, the Queens district attorney's office said Tuesday.
Robert Marshall is accused of taking the Springfield Garden woman's card after he responded to her home on Aug. 8 for an emergency call. She was taken to a hospital for medical attention and returned home several days later, which is when she realized her debit card was missing from her wallet, according to prosecutors.
According to a criminal complaint, surveillance footage from a liquor store on 20th Avenue in Queens allegedly shows Marshall buying two bottles of Moet brand champagne using the woman's red debit card that same August day. That red card was also used to make purchases at a brick oven pizzeria, a Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant, a Key Food grocery store and a laundromat, prosecutors say, alleging Marshall was behind those buys, too.
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WATCH HEREA grand jury indicted him on 12 counts, charging him with forgery, identity theft, grand larceny, falsifying business records, criminal possession of stolen property and other crimes.
Marshall's attorney, Oliver Storch, asked the public to withhold judgment pending the conclusion of the case.
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SIGN UP "Mr. Marshall is in the business of saving lives, with a very young child, and he was terribly shocked and embarrassed by these allegations," Storch said. "He wants to make sure that his alleged actions do not reflect on his colleagues in the FDNY. We will review the indictment and address the charges in the appropriate forum."
The FDNY didn't immediately respond to a request for comment on the case.
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Marshall faces up to seven years in prison if convicted. He is due back in court next month.
"This first responder allegedly used the medical crisis of a senior citizen as an opportunity to steal and indulge himself," Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said in a statement. "When those tasked with helping New Yorkers abuse their positions of trust and hurt New Yorkers, they will be held accountable."
