OCSO needs help identifying check fraud ring operation

OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – Oklahoma County deputies are asking for your help to track down nearly two dozen people accused in a check fraud ring.

The only problem is they have nothing but security video to help find them.

Businesses have been conned out of thousands of dollars, and Sheriff Tommie Johnson says it is hard to track down the people responsible because they are believed to be illegal immigrants, with no US identification.

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“That certainly presents the situation where you can’t ID someone and you kind of fall victim to someone who’s essentially a ghost in your in your area,” Tommie Johnson, Oklahoma County Sheriff said.

One check, three vehicles and up to 20 people involved, resulting in more than $55,000 being stolen from businesses.

Sheriff Johnson says the suspects used an automated check cashing machine to cash the same check over and over again, each time using a fake ID.

They would then go back to their car, change clothes, grab a new fake ID and repeat the process.

“You look up names, you put them through different databases that the nation has, and when they don’t come back, I mean, it tells you this is not confirmed, that this isn’t a person that is recognized here in our country,” Sheriff Johnson said.

So far, just one person has been arrested in relation to this check fraud ring operation, Yefrin Leonel Hernandez.

Hernandez came back as an illegal immigrant, and deputies believe the other suspects are illegal or undocumented as well.

With only fake ID’s to go on, deputies are hoping these security pictures will help track them down.

“Hopefully we get feedback from the community saying, hey, this is this person, we know where they stay, we know where they work, we know where they live, we know family members are associates,” Sheriff Johnson said. “We’re really going to lean on the community to help us out with this.”

Again one person is arrested but many others are expected to be involved. If you recognize any of them, the Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO) ask you to give them a call at 405.713.1000.

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