Two men have been arrested in State College after attempting to steal thousands from local banks using stolen identities. They have been identified by State College Police as 63 year old Arthur Smith and 24 year old Jason Arzu, both from New York. On Tuesday afternoon, Smith reportedly entered the First National Bank on East College Avenue and presented a suspected fake driver’s license, and requested two months of bank statements. The bank teller recognized Smith as the same man that staff were notified had attempted fraudulent activity at a Juniata County bank earlier in the day. Smith was later apprehended in front of another bank in State College and told authorities he was in State College doing “illegal stuff” with another man. Both men were charged with felony counts each of forgery, and numerous other counts and have been placed in the Centre County Prison in lieu of $220,000 each. Preliminary hearings are slated for April 17th.
