Pair Charged in Check Forging Schemes and Mail Fraud
Detective Aaron Vallini with the McDowell County Sheriff’s Office charged 24-year-old Justina Beltran of Morganton 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, by Detective Derrick McGinnis. He was given a secured bond of $10,000.
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.
On September 3, Deputy Seth Leopold spoke with a Marion resident about a stolen check. The individual stated he had put a personal check in the mail that morning to pay a credit card bill. Later in the day, they received a call from State Employees Credit Union in Marion notifying the victim of an attempt to cash the stolen check, from someone else.
On October 2, Lieutenant Jason Cook was contacted by an individual who reported finding pieces of mail lying on the ground on Old Greenlee Road. Among the items were two checks, one of which appeared to have been altered with Beltran’s name.
Detective Vallini interviewed a person who was the owner of one of the stolen checks. That individual confirmed that their 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.
This investigation is ongoing and additional charges are anticipated.
