Bergen County Prosecutor Gurbir S. Grewal announced the arrest of seven individuals following an investigation into check fraud.
The arrests are the result of an investigation that began in August when authorities received a complaint from County of Bergen financial officers regarding the fraudulent production and deposit of checks which were made to appear as if they were issued from a Bergen County payroll account.
Along with the checks, it was determined that illicit wire activity had also occurred which brought the total theft amount to over $50,000.
The investigation revealed that Anthony Peguero and Daleska Dillerva organized the illicit activities of a group of individuals who were responsible for forging and negotiating business checks. The checks were deposited in co-conspirators’ accounts and then the illicitly obtained funds were withdrawn before the forgeries and deception were uncovered.
Lezlie Mercedes, Guillermo Lopez, Alysha Viera, Francisco Troche, Claudio Rodrigues in concert along with Dillerva and Peguero to access and use the illicit bank accounts in which the forged checks were deposited. As a result of the still ongoing investigation, other suspected victim business accounts have been identified.
As a result of the investigation, police arrested Alysha Viera, 19, of Carlstadt on September 8th in Paramus and charged her Issuing or Passing Bad Checks, with a value greater than $1,000 but less than $75,000 and, one count of Theft by Deception, with a benefit greater than $500 but less than $75,000, The complaint was issued as a summons and Viera is scheduled to appear in Central Judicial Processing Court on September 20, 2017.
Guillermo Lopez, 30, from Jersey City was arrested on September 11th in Jersey City and charged with one count of Issuing or Passing Bad Checks, with a value greater than $1,000 but less than $75,000, and one count of Theft by Deception, with a benefit greater than $500 but less than $75,000,
The complaint was issued as a summons and Lopez is scheduled to appear in Central Judicial Processing Court on September 27, 2017.
Anthony Peguero, 23, of Newark, was arrested on September 19th in Newark and charged with one count of Fraudulent Use, Distribution, Manufacture, and/or Possession of Items Containing the Personal Identification Information of Another (Trafficking in Stolen Identities), ten of more items pertaining to five or more persons, one count of Issuing or Passing Bad Checks, with a value greater than $1,000 but less than $75,000, and one count of Theft by Deception, with a benefit greater than $500 but less than $75,000. The complaint was issued as a warrant and Peguero was detained pending a detention hearing.
Daleska Dillerva, 22, of Newark, was arrested on September 19th in Newark and charged with one count of Fraudulent Use, Distribution, Manufacture, and/or Possession of Items Containing the Personal Identification Information of Another (Trafficking in Stolen Identities), ten of more items pertaining to five or more persons, one count of Issuing or Passing Bad Checks, with a value greater than $1,000 but less than $75,000, and, one count of Theft by Deception, with a benefit greater than $500 but less than $75,000, The complaint was issued as a summons and Dillerva is scheduled to appear in Central Judicial Processing Court on October 4th.
Francisco Troche, 25, Harrison was arrested on September 19th Paramus and charged with one count of Issuing or Passing Bad Checks, with a value greater than $200 but less than $1,000, one count of Theft by Deception, with a benefit greater than $500 but less than $75,000, The complaint was issued as a summons and Troche is scheduled to appear in Central Judicial Processing Court on October 4th.
Claudio Rodrigues was arrested September 20th in Paramus and charged with one count of Issuing or Passing Bad Checks, with a value greater than $1,000 but less than $75,000, one count of Theft by Deception, with a benefit greater than $500 but less than $75,000. The complaint was issued as a summons and Rodrigues is scheduled to appear in Central Judicial Processing Court on October 4th.
Lezlie Mercedes, 19, Hackensack, was arrested on September 20th in Paramus and charged with one count of Issuing or Passing Bad Checks, with a value greater than $1,000 but less than $75,000, one count of Theft by Deception, with a benefit greater than $500 but less than $75,000. The complaint was issued as a summons and Mercedes is scheduled to appear in Central Judicial Processing Court on October 4th.
Prosecutor Grewal states that these charges are merely accusations and that the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.