St. George man charged with multiple counts of identity theft; forgery on the rise in Southern Utah

police

ST. GEORGE – A 42-year-old St. George man was charged with multiple forgery and identity theft counts on Oct. 17.

Captain James Van Fleet said the suspect was already in jail on alleged forgery charges when an officer recognized him as a man he had seen in a Maverick County Store surveillance video. The owners of the Maverick on Riverside Drive, as well as additional Mavericks in the area, had made multiple reports of a man passing fraudulent checks between July 1 and Oct. 12, 2011.

Already facing accusations for an alleged burglary and forgeries, the suspect now faces an additional 14 counts of forgery (fraudulent checks), two counts of identity fraud, and one count of theft (for items bought with the fraudulent checks).

With the filing of the new crimes allegedly committed, Van Fleet said the suspect now faces an estimated 21 counts of forgery.

“The past is catching up with him,” Van Fleet said.

Sometimes referred to as “paper crimes,” Van Fleet added that forgeries and identity thefts are becoming an increasingly common in the St. George area. Paper crimes are not as risky as actual burglaries or muggings where physical harm is a distinct possibility. He suspects the trend will continue to rise as the economy remains stagnant.

* Persons accused are presumed innocent unless found guilty in a court of law.

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2011, all rights reserved.

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