A 19-year-old who was caught impersonating a physician's assistant in 2022 was arrested again on Sunday on an outstanding felony warrant for allegedly defrauding a car dealership out of more than $100,000.
Zachry Brent Bailey is charged with two felony counts of obtaining property by trick or deception related to an April 19 incident at the Cooper Auto Group in Oklahoma City, according to court documents.
Bailey Made Fraudulent Loan Payments Before Selling Vehicles to Dealership
The teenager reportedly brought a 2023 Acura MDX to the dealership with the intent to sell."[Employees] were suspicious of the interaction due to Zachry's young age," court records read, per KFOR.
Despite their suspicion, the employees confirmed with Toyota Finance Services there was only $1,713.23 owed on the car and they cut Bailey a check for $46,272.97, the outlet reported. Bailey returned to the dealership on May 1 to sell a 2023 Toyota Tundra and made off with a $64,256 check after staff verified there was only $2,244 owed on the truck.
"Soon thereafter, it was found out Zachry had made fraudulent ACH transfers on the outstanding balance toward the Acura and Tundra loans the day before selling the vehicles," court documents read, per KFOR.
After the dealership would verify the loans, the automated transfers were stopped before the payment was completed. Then the loans reverted to the full amount owed stating "No Account Found," the outlet reported. The dealership was then unable to acquire the titles for the cars, as the loan payment was not paid in full.
An arrest warrant for Bailey was issued on Aug. 1, but he was not nabbed until this weekend.
Bailey Previously Posed as a Physician's Assistant, Used Hospital Facilities for a Month
Prior to the alleged car dealership scam, Bailey had been accused of posing as a physician assistant and spending a month freely accessing a hospital in Corpus Christi, Texas.
Investigators said the teen bought a pair of scrubs for $41 and visited the hospital after hours when the entry desk was manned by a volunteer rather than a staff member, according to KRIS-TV.
While in the hospital, his badge showed he accessed the intensive care units, operating rooms, emergency room, nursery units and catheterization laboratories from March 31 to April 28, the outlet reported. It wasn't until an ICU nurse decided to look into his social media pages after Bailey reportedly asked her about how to access the computer system, and claimed he attended a private university that was an all-girl school, that the teen's deception was fully revealed.
He later pleaded guilty to two felony charges for acting as a physician's assistant without a license and forgery of documents and was sentenced to six years of probation, the outlet reported.
Bailey was Also Scheming to Impersonate a Police Officer
However, that's not all the teen has been up to. He was also accused of lying to an apartment complex to gain residency, stealing $4,300 of jewelry from Walmart and committing bank fraud to buy a $52,000 BMW.
The Apache Police Department, the agency that arrested Bailey on Sunday, said it was believed he was scheming to impersonate a police officer, according to a release from the agency. The teenager was driving a former police car, and had a bulletproof vest, duty belt, ammunition and a "ghost gun" – a gun with the serial number removed.
Police said he haS been compared to Leonardo DiCaprio's character in the movie "Catch Me If You Can" about a conman using forgery and deception to gain fame. He was booked into the Caddo County Jail in Oklahoma on a $200,000 bond.
