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Mar. 1, 2001 By Aspen C. Emmett Hot checks bearing the names of area newspapers are coming hot off the press, according to Durango Herald business manager Robert Whitson. Checks cashed at local businesses bearing the names of the Durango Herald and the Daily Times (Farmington, N.M.) were reportedly fraudulently printed, endorsed and cashed at unsuspecting businesses throughout the Four Corners. According to Mancos Marshal Brandon Brown, realistic-looking "Durango Herald" checks have fooled merchants in Bayfield, Pagosa, Ignacio and Mancos. A total of six such checks have surfaced. The checks turning up in Ignacio and Mancos were written to "Terry Allen Petty" and issued by "Betty A. Larkin," with a bank noted as a credit union in Louisiana, Brown said. The rest of the checks differed slightly, but all six were in the amount of $289.09, he said. Both papers confirmed that neither has employed anyone by either name at any time. Brown said the bogus check cashed at Mancos Pizza was printed on authentic check stock, which was consistent with other reports. "The checks were computer-generated on check stock on a false bank with a false person," he said. Pete Lloyd, owner of Mancos Pizza, said the fraudulent check didn’t appear suspicious in any way. "It was a pretty slick operation," Lloyd said. The checks were returned to the businesses that cashed them, stamped "Returned not paid — no such account." A check from "The Daily Times" was cashed in Gallup, N.M., with the same recipient and endorsement. The major difference was that the bank listed was from Albuquerque — a bank that the Times has never done business with. Neither newspaper was held responsible for damages, Whitson said, but unfortunately, the businesses who cashed the checks are out of luck concerning the money. Brown said Pagosa Springs officials were able to obtain video photos of the suspects while they were cashing one of the checks at the Pagosa City Market; however, it has not led to any arrests. "I went over and viewed the tape, and it’s not anybody from here," Brown said. "We’ve not been able to get any information on any of the names that are on the checks." BOCS account defrauded of $15,000 By Aspen C. Emmett Someone has managed to acquire nearly $15,000 by cashing fraudulent checks at the expense of the Southwest Board of Cooperative Services (BOCS) of Cortez. BOCS bookkeeper Mary Ann Graf reported to the Cortez Police Department that checks not issued by BOCS were being cashed on their account at Vectra Bank and had amounted to a total of $14,650.48. According to a police report, the print on the checks was slightly different than BOCS’s standard checks. "It appears to us that the checks were not stolen, so how they would have got access to them, or whether they made them themselves, I don’t know," said Cortez Police Chief Roy Lane. However, all the checks were cashed in the Denver metro area and none apparently have surfaced locally. Lane said there is nothing to suggest that the case is related to any other pending check-fraud cases in the county. "We don’t have any information at this time that leads us to believe that it is (connected)," he said. "I do know that the Lakewood police department has an open case over some fraud references and that’s what we’re doing right now is seeing if we can do something with them. The case is still under investigation." Lane said he did not know whether BOCS would be held responsible for the amount of the fraudulent checks, if the responsibility fell on the bank, or if there were any suspects at the time. He was also unable to say if the names appearing on the check were employees of BOCS or made out to other businesses. BOCS would not provide any information about the checks to the Journal. "I’m not allowed to make any comment at this point and time," Graf said.
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Copyright © 2001 the Cortez Journal.
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