Maine Man Accused of Passing Bogus Checks in Florida

A Maine man says someone hired him in Augusta to travel to Florida and cash bogus checks.

The Maine Man Faces Multiple Charges Including Forgery

Shawn Willette, 43, of Maine is charged with fraud, forgery, and unauthorized use of a driver's license.

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A Sharp Bank Employee Caught Onto His Scheme When He Returned to the Branch

The Palm Beach Gardens Police Department in Florida says Willette slipped up in his quest to cash bogus checks when he went to the same bank twice with different identities. On Saturday, police say he tried to cash a $3,500 check under a false name at the Fifth Third Bank in Palm Beach Gardens. The tellers noticed the account had a fraud alert on it, so they asked Willette verification questions, which he couldn't answer. When they refused to cash the check, he took back the identification and left.

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Two days later, WGME-TV reports that Willette went back to the same branch and allegedly tried to cash a $3,720 fake check made out to a different potential victim. The bank employee involved in the first incident recognized the Maine man and called the police.

Willette Claims He Was Hired in Maine to Pass the Checks in Florida

When the officers questioned Willette, he told them he was recruited in Augusta, Maine to travel 1,500 miles to Florida by people he did not know. His mission, Willette claimed, was to cash the fake checks so he could get a cut of the amount. He said the individuals would give him identification cards with his picture on them and, when he successfully cashed the checks and returned with the money, the other individuals would take back the IDs and give him about 10% of the amount collected.

PBGPD contacted the two people whose identities were used for the identifications in the Fifth Third Bank incidents and they both agreed to press charges. No comment has been made by police about whether they have any leads about the identities of the others involved in the scheme.

We'll update this story as more details become available.