More Victims Come Forward in Case of Brooklyn Heights Identity Theft

Dan Kaufman, the co-owner and manager of Busy Chef in Brooklyn Heights who stands accused of identity theft and credit card forgery, is out on bail thanks to his girlfriend, who put up $50,000 after a judge refused to believe that Kaufman's own bail money was obtained legally. A grand jury convened this week to hear the 19 charges against Kaufman, who allegedly charged a total of $24,978.53 to 19 customers' credit card accounts. The Brooklyn Paper reports that Kaufman also has a notorious reputation in Boston, where the landlord of a wine bar run by Kaufman was forced to sue him for unpaid rent. And a former supplier to Kaufman in Boston says “He screwed people three ways to Sunday. I don’t know how he does it — he can look at you smiling and lie to your face, and not even bat an eyelash.”