Group Passes Forged Checks

Tue., Jan. 13, 1998

From Staff Reports

A band of 12 to 14 people from California passed $11,000 in forged checks in Spokane on Saturday and a few were trying to cash more when some of them were arrested by police.

The group, which traveled in two cars, had roughly 300 forged checks from Akins Foods, a Spokane food supply company, said Dick Cottam, police spokesman.

“They were machine reproduced signatures, some had the same serial number on them,” Cottam said.

The group passed about $4,000 in checks at Albertsons on Northwest Boulevard and then passed another $7,000 in checks at Money Tree on West Third. It’s unknown if other businesses took checks from the group.

Six people were arrested while trying to pass checks at an Albertsons on North Division, Cottam said. The others fled.

Booked into jail on charges of forgery were Francisco Ortiz-Miranda, 26; Antonio Diaz-Cardona, 24; Bernardo Acosta Valenzuela, 20; Jose Agustin Aguilar-Romero, 49; Norma Ayala Gonzalez, 42; and Maritza L. Lopez, 44.

It appears the group cashed checks in Oregon as they worked their way toward Spokane. Those involved in the scheme were paid $125 for each check. The remainder of the face amount was turned over to the holder of the forgeries, police said.

, DataTimes

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