Man Charged After Swindling Thousands From Lakeville Residents

An Eden Prairie man has been arrested for allegedly bamboozling hundreds of dollars out of residents in the Burnsville and Lakeville area.

Baker Tababouanga Albert, 22, faces one count of theft by swindle, a felony that carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and up to $10,000 in fines.

According to the police report, Albert orchestrated a lengthy series of cons from July to September of 2011. Police claim that Albert scouted for victims in a variety of public places, such as , local grocery stores and gas stations and even the Burnsville Center. 

In each instance, Albert allegedly used the same ruse. Albert would approach a stranger asking if they could help him cash a check for a few hundred dollars. In exchange, he promised to give them a token amount of $30 to $40. The two would then head to an ATM where Albert would feed the machine a deposit envelope. The account holder would withdraw the agreed upon amount, only to realize later that the deposit envelope had been empty. 

In this manner, Albert allegedly cheated 11 different people. All in all, Albert walked away with $1,460 from these transactions, police say.

At present, Albert faces similar allegations in Scott and Carver Counties, where he is the subject of five separate cases.

Albert made his first appearance before the Dakota County court on March 28.