Cops: 33 arrested in four counties in massive check scam
Thirty-three people in a four-county area have been implicated in a massive forgery scheme that may have led to $2 million in bogus payroll checks and money orders being cashed at businesses, in many cases local Walmarts, authorities said today.
Police characterized Warren Clark, a 43-year-old Carpentersville man, as the ring leader who would target low-income people to do his dirty work - the actual cashing of the bogus checks.
"It's definitely sophisticated," said South Elgin Police Sgt. Mike Doty. "He knew what he was doing. He knew how to target people to participate."
Clark is being held on 10 percent of $195,000 bond at the Winnebago County Jail in Rockford, authorities said.
He is charged with being organizer of a continual financial crimes enterprise, a felony that carries a six- to 30-year sentence with no option for probation.
The overall investigation led to charges in Kane, McHenry, Winnebago and Boone counties and began last summer, authorities said.
Doty said South Elgin authorities began investigating in September when they received a complaint from Tower Hill Health Care that $50,000 in bogus payroll checks had been cashed.
The investigation led to eight people in Kane County who had cashed fake checks, he said.
Other businesses, including Walmart, also began reporting batches of bogus checks in which people used their real names to complete the transaction. Doty said people would cash a fake payroll check using their real name and address and give the majority of it to Warren.
Doty said investigators believe Warren used computers to generate the checks and may have purchased check-making supplies from local office supply stores.
"This was really great police work by all of the detectives involved in the case. It's very time consuming," Doty said.
Clark does not have a criminal record in Kane County, records show.
In addition to Clark, Jessica Detemer, 22, of Carpentersville, has been charged with a continual financial crimes enterprise, eight counts of forgery and four counts of deceptive practice. The crimes enterprise charge carries a 15-year maximum term.
Police said others charged in Kane County with forgery are: Elgin residents Tiffani Thornton, Calvin Parham and Brandell Melvin, along with Carpentersville residents Marko E. Megyerey, Melissa Campa, Laketia Crofton, Alexis Brown, Pamela Harris; and Antonio Banks of Chicago.
Thornton, 26, is due in court Wednesday and her bond is 10 percent of $20,000. Melvin, 26, has a bond set at 10 percent of $35,000. Demeter, 23, is being held on $4,000 bond for an unrelated burglary charge.
In McHenry County, Lashika Riddle, Ebony Head and Courtney Stephens, all of Carpentersville, have been charged with forgery but none has been arrested yet; the names of four others are being withheld pending charges.
Nine people have been charged by Winnebago County authorities with forgery: Rockford residents Mentha B. Garrett, Angelica Flores-Cortes, Irma M. Martinez, Adriana Trejo, Darrell J. Cooper, Christopher D. Jensen, and Lenetra R. Williams; along with Beatrice M. Amaya of Loves Park and Wayne L. Felske Jr. of Cary.
Of these people, only Jensen was in custody as of Tuesday afternoon. Jensen, 23, has a bond of 10 percent of $25,500.
Boone County is withholding names of six people until charged are filed.
Other agencies that investigated were police departments from Belvidere, East Dundee, Elgin, Rockford, the Illinois State Police/Illinois Gaming Board and U.S. Postal Inspection Service.