Special Operations Warrant Division Officers observed a Hispanic male exiting a Lexington Park liquor store and begin to run eastbound on Great Mills Road with a store employee coming out behind him.
Believing that a crime had taken place, the Officers chased the subject into a nearby Fast Food Store. The owner of the store identified the suspect as a person who tried to cash a United States Treasury check that was stolen from the State of Texas.
Detectives from the Bureau of Criminal Investigations continued the investigation.
Jose Valladares, 25, of Hyattsville, was detained and found to be in possession of a stolen and altered Government check as well as fictitious identification.
Valladares is an illegal alien and was connected to a much larger nation-wide scam. He was charged with theft of the check, counterfeiting and uttering a false or altered document.
On June 6th, detectives from the St. Mary’s Bureau of Criminal Investigations were contacted by a local banking establishment who advised that over the past several weeks an unknown Hispanic male has been passing stolen United States Treasury Department checks.
The majority of the checks were stolen from Houston, Texas, although there were also checks that were stolen from Prince George’s County. The suspect would alter the dollar amount on the check increasing the total owed to them.
The suspect utilized false identification cards with fictitious names and the suspect’s photo. More than $15,000 in checks have been identified thus far as being cashed in St. Mary’s County and additional checks are expected.
Later that day Detectives were contacted by a local business owner in regards to the stolen/counterfeit checks. Officers were in the immediate area and apprehended the suspect as he attempted to flee.
The suspect was identified as Gonzalo Lopez , 44, of no fixed address, Langley Park. He was found to be in the United States illegally from Honduras.
Evidence was recovered from the suspect and the scene. Detectives were assisted by the United States Secret Service, Agent of the Mercantile Bank of Southern Maryland and Agents from the United States Treasury Department.
Lopez was charged with one count of counterfeiting and one charge of theft scheme over $500. Additional charges are expected locally after a State’s Attorney’s Office and Grand Jury review.
The investigation will continue by the above named Agencies. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was contacted and a detainer was filed for Lopez’s, and Valladares’ continued detention, if they were released on local charges. Lopez is currently being held on $50,000 bond.
All business owners should be on the continued lookout for anyone attempting to cash United States Treasury Department Checks.