Crime & Safety

Woman Charged in Counterfeit Check Scam, Police Say

A woman has been charged with cashing counterfeit checks using account numbers from Mesko Spotting Service.

Written by Jack Tobias

Mesko Spotting Service Inc., 5540 Memorial Road in Upper Macungie appears to be the victim of a counterfeit check-cashing scheme.

A woman was charged Tuesday morning with cashing a $400 counterfeit check on Dec. 19, 2011. The check appeared to look as if it came from Mesko Spotting.

Court records say the woman—Dorotea Maria Rojas, 20, no known address—cashed the check at the Walmart on Route 248 in Lower Nazareth Township.

Mesko Spotting specializes in truck trailer spotting—making sure the right trailer is at the right place at the right time, according to a Patch posting about the company. It also provides warehouse operational services.

The criminal complaint against Rojas, filed by Colonial Regional Det. Gary Hammer, says:

—Mesko’s bank told him someone had counterfeited numerous checks using account numbers from his company’s payroll account. The bank said most of the checks were cashed at the Lower Nazareth Walmart and the Bethlehem Township Walmart on Route 191.

—Hammer learned there were 33 counterfeit Mesko Spotting checks cashed by “a variety of people.” The complaint does not give a value of the counterfeit checks.

—Hammer viewed surveillance video from the Lower Nazareth Walmart that shows Rojas cashing a check. Mesko told Hammer that Rojas was not a company employee and had no reason to cash a company check.

An arrest warrant for Rojas was approved Feb. 4, 2013—the same day Hammer filed the complaint. There is no explanation for the time gap between when the complaint was filed and Tuesday’s arraignment.

In addition to criminal conspiracy to commit forgery, Rojas was charged with forgery, theft by deception, receiving stolen property and criminal conspiracy to commit theft by deception.

She was arraigned by District Judge Joseph Barner of Lower Nazareth Township and released on $1,500 unsecured bail.--


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