BRANFORD — A Missouri man has been extradited to Connecticut and charged in connection with a wire fraud scheme that stole more than $350,000 from a Branford-based finance company.
Shawn Evans, 57, of Sikeston, Missouri, was arrested June 20 in Missouri as a fugitive from justice and transported to Connecticut on July 1 by Branford detectives.
Evans was arraigned July 2 in New Haven Superior Court on charges of first-degree larceny and conspiracy to commit first-degree larceny.
The investigation began in May 2024 when a fraudulent wire transfer of $355,859 was obtained from the Branford finance company.
The funds were initially deposited into an account under a fictitious name and eventually traced to a personal JP Morgan Chase account belonging to Evans, according to Branford police.
Branford detectives worked with the Scott County Sheriff’s Office in Benton, Missouri, to locate Evans and conduct a joint investigation that connected him to a larger fraud scheme.
Evans was held on $500,000 bond and later waived his right to an extradition hearing.
The New Haven State’s Attorney’s Office approved the extradition warrant.
Police said a significant portion of the stolen money located in JPMorgan Chase accounts has been recovered and returned to the victim company.
