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Police said Joseph Vito O’Hearn, of Agnes Avenue in Los Angeles, used forged documents at Citadel Credit Union before being caught
A Los Angeles, California man had a felony forgery charge dismissed at a Tuesday preliminary hearing and now heads to Montgomery County Common Pleas Court on misdemeanor charges of identity theft and possessing an instrument of crime charge in an alleged forgery case in Montgomery Township.
Joseph Vito O’Hearn, 39, of the 6300 block of Agnes Avenue, Los Angeles, was accused of attempting to pen a bank account using fake identification documents at a Citadel Federal Credit Union branch on Bethlehem Pike.
According to the criminal complaint, O'Hearn entered the bank around 2:50 p.m. Sept. 22, 2025 and presented a Georgia driver’s license and Social Security card bearing another person’s name.
A bank employee became suspicious and contacted police after the documents failed a fraud check through the institution’s verification system, police said.
O’Hearn also allegedly presented a PPL electric bill and a pay stub appearing to be from Elmwood Park Zoo, both of which were later determined to be counterfeit.
When questioned, O’Hearn allegedly identified himself by the false name shown on the Georgia license until officers ran the documents through state databases and confirmed his real identity.
O'Hearn is free on $10,000 unsecured bond. He will be arraigned on the misdemeanors in county court next month.
All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using public court records.
