Who’s investigating suspicious documents found in car linked to check cooking scheme?
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — It’s a crime that could happen to any of us.
A check you write to pay a bill—or one sitting in your mail or post office box— is stolen, altered and cashed.
Customers’ checks stolen from Temple Terrace business; some altered, cashed
Our ongoing Better Call Behnken investigation is shining a spotlight on a multi-county organized financial scheme. The crime is still happening, despite repeated run-ins with law enforcement.
Nearly two months after the Largo Police Department impounded a car packed with hundreds of checks, credit cards, blank check paper and unopened mail, victims had not been notified—until they got calls from Better Call Behnken.
Temple Terrace Chiropractor Dr. Pavloa Santamaria is furious.
“I don’t think law enforcement is taking it seriously,” she said. “I mean you find all this paraphernalia in this car. Somebody should be investigating further.”
So, who is investigating this obvious scheme? First, Temple Terrace police.
A spokesman said they closed their case because the salon owner’s check wasn’t cashed in Temple Terrace. A month after I started asking questions, they finally referred their case to the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office.
The car full of evidence was found in Largo. Police there closed their case, saying they arrested the suspect in the car for a property fraud case they were investigating and it was up to other agencies to look into the evidence they stumbled upon.
The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office looked into two incidents. This resulted in closed cases nd one fraud arrest that ended in probation. There’s no case into the mountain of evidence.
Check cooking scheme: What we know about the people linked to seized car
This is multi-jurisdictional, so what about the Florida Department of Law Enforcement? We struck out here too. A spokeswoman said we would have to contact the investigative agency.
Well, there isn’t one.
So what about the U.S. Postal Inspector?
These reports mention unopened mail and one of the victims says their mail carrier was robbed at gunpoint and his master post box key was stolen. A spokesperson said no case was referred to them.
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