Two people have been charged by the McDowell County Sheriff's Office in a check forging scheme and mail fraud.
On Sept. 3, sheriff's office Deputy Seth Leopold spoke with a Marion resident about a stolen check. The individual said he put a personal check in the mail that morning to pay a credit card bill. Later in the day, the resident got a call from State Employees Credit Union in Marion notifying the resident of an attempt to cash the stolen check, according to a news release from the sheriff's office.
On Wednesday, Oct. 2, Lt. Jason Cook was contacted by an individual who reported finding pieces of Old Greenlee Road. Among the items were two checks, one of which appeared to have been altered with the name of Justina Beltran, 24, of Morganton.
Detective Aaron Vallini with the McDowell County Sheriff's Office interviewed a person who was the owner of one of the stolen checks. That individual confirmed that the name and monetary amount written on the check had been altered, and believed the check had been stolen from either the Marion post office, where it was originally dropped off, or from the intended recipient's address.
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Beltran was charged with felony forgery of endorsement and felony larceny of chose in action. Beltran was given a secured bond of $5,000. Jacob Levi Hensley, 24, of Nebo, was also charged with felony larceny of chose in action and felony forgery of an instrument. He was given a secured bond of $10,000.
In North Carolina, larceny of chose in action is a felony when someone steals a check, bank note or certificate of stock from another person, according to state statutes.
Investigators have determined Hensley and Beltran acted together in check forging schemes and mail fraud and are responsible for numerous crimes associated with multiple victims across McDowell County, according to the news release.
This investigation is ongoing and additional charges are anticipated.
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