Two charged with stealing $320k from business
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A man and woman are in jail after police say they stole over $320,000 in checks from a business in a banking scheme last month.
Dedrick Jones, 32, is charged with forgery $250,000 or more, and theft of property greater than $250,000. He is being held in jail on a $25,000 bond.
Amber Smith, 32, is charged with theft of property greater than $250,000. Her bond was set at $10,000.
On April 19, officers say they responded to a counterfeiting/forgery call at Specialty Trailers Inc. at 2312 Channel Avenue on President’s Island.
The manager stated their $307,722.58 business check was made out to Macdon Industries on March 29 and was cashed on April 4 at the First Horizon Bank on Kirby Parkway without permission.
The manager also stated that a second business check made out to Kuehne+Nagel Inc. for $8,264.08 and a third business check made out to Vaderstad for $7,656.55 was cashed at Regions Bank without permission.
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According to reports, the back of the checks were all endorsed by Amber Smith, who is unknown to the manager.
The business suffered a loss of $321,643.19, police say.
On May 2, investigators say that Smith was taken into custody. Shortly afterward, her boyfriend Dedrick Jones went to the police department to speak with investigators.
Jones showed investigators text messages between him and a man who allegedly gave him the check.
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In the text messages, investigators say Jones initiated contact with the man, telling him he wanted to participate in the banking scheme.
The messages showed Jones giving the man access codes to Smith’s First Horizon Bank account. Jones allegedly signed “Amber Smith” on the back of the checks; his cut would be $80,000.
Jones also told police that he was with Smith when she went to the bank and attempted to withdraw $60,000 from the first check when it was deposited into her account.
Dedrick Jones and Amber Smith are both scheduled to appear in court on Monday morning.
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