VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. – Three New York residents were arrested on Tuesday on accusations that they tried to buy money orders with fake checks, according to the Ormond Beach Police Department.
Police said that they responded to the U.S. Post Office along Williamson Boulevard around 9 a.m. after receiving reports about the fake checks.
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Upon arrival, police found Martin Francisco, 28; Jared Perry, 30; and Jamaiqua Ellison, 30, in an SUV near the post office’s parking lot.
According to investigators, Francisco had tried to use a Treasury check to buy a money order at the post office, providing a New York driver’s license that matched the name on the check — “Dawin Edwin Bernadin.”
However, the postmaster told Francisco that she was aware of a scam that had already hit several post offices in North Florida, adding that she didn’t believe his check was real, police said.
In an arrest affidavit, detectives explained that the scam involved a man or woman using a Treasury check with a New York driver’s license to buy money orders. While the checks and licenses had multiple names, the licenses all had the same photos, the affidavit shows.
Police said that due to neither Francisco nor Perry being able to provide a valid driver’s license, they searched the SUV and found the following items:
- Stack of driver’s licenses with different names and Francisco’s, Perry’s, and Ellison’s photos
- Stack of fraudulent credit cards
- Children’s book with 11 Treasury checks inside
With evidence of another crime, police stopped looking through the SUV and had it towed to the police station until they could get a search warrant, the affidavit states.
Police also said that the trio matched the descriptions of the other Treasury check scams in Florida.
Francisco faces charges of counterfeit notes, possessing counterfeit driver’s licenses, passing a forged instrument and trafficking in counterfeit credit cards. He is held on bond of $57,500.
Perry faces charges of counterfeit notes, possessing counterfeit driver’s licenses and trafficking in counterfeit credit cards. He is held on bond of $52,500.
Ellison faces charges of possessing forged driver’s licenses, counterfeit notes, giving a false name upon arrest and trafficking in counterfeit credit cards. She is held on bond of $55,000.
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