Four people were arrested in Mobile after police say two of them traveled from Atlanta specifically to recruit local residents into a scheme to pass counterfeit checks, according to the Mobile Police Department.
Investigators say the operation came to light after someone reported suspicious activity involving forged checks at a Regions Bank branch inside the Pinebrook Shopping Center. Responding detectives detained four suspects at the scene following the report, a police spokeswoman said.
Dejean Washington, 26, and Bernithia Young, 31 — both of whom listed an Atlanta address when booked — each face 15 counts of second-degree possession of a forged instrument, according to jail booking records. Two additional suspects, Lionel Houze, 58, and Kenneth Wayne Patton, 46, were each booked on one count of the same charge.
Police say Washington and Young had no prior arrest record in Mobile County, suggesting the pair had recently begun operating in the area. Patton and Houze, however, were already known to local law enforcement — Patton was arrested in 2012 on drug possession and resisting arrest charges, while Houze has faced previous charges connected to worthless and forged financial instruments.
All four suspects were being held at Mobile County Metro Jail and were scheduled for an initial appearance in Mobile County District Court later in December.
Mobile police say check-fraud schemes involving out-of-town recruiters are not unheard of along the Gulf Coast, where investigators periodically track coordinated efforts to bring in outside participants willing to pass forged financial instruments at local banks and retailers in exchange for a cut of the proceeds. Authorities urged bank customers and business owners to remain alert to unfamiliar individuals attempting to cash large or unusual checks and to report suspicious transactions promptly.
Second-degree possession of a forged instrument is a felony under Alabama law, carrying potential prison time depending on a defendant’s criminal history and the number of counts involved. Prosecutors will ultimately decide how the case proceeds following the defendants’ initial court appearances.