A Pasco County man was arrested on March 13 for attempting to cash a fraudulent check at Capital City Bank, located at 14001 Cortez Boulevard, according to the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies responded to the bank after receiving a report of an unknown man attempting to cash a suspicious check. The suspect was later identified as Daniel Ryan Lawless, 43, a transient from Pasco County.
According to the bank teller, Lawless arrived at the bank around 10 a.m. and presented a check payable to himself from the Board of County Commissioners of Dixie County in the amount of $1,800.
Deputies contacted the Financial Director of the Board of County Commissioners of Dixie County, who confirmed the check was not authorized and was deemed fraudulent.
When confronted by deputies, Lawless said he had met two unknown men in a white sedan in Pasco County on March 12. Lawless told deputies the men asked if he wanted to make money. He said he provided the men with his personal information and met with them again the following day.
Lawless stated that during the second meeting, the men gave him a check containing his personal information and instructed him to tell the bank teller that he worked as a janitor. Lawless admitted he knew he did not work for the organization and that he should not have attempted to cash the check.
Lawless was arrested and charged with uttering a forged instrument and criminal use of personal identification. He was booked into the Hernando County Detention Center with a bond set at $2,000.
Anyone with information about this case is asked to contact Hernando County Crime Stoppers at 1-866-990-TIPS (8477) or by sending a tip from a cell phone using TIPS. Tips can also be submitted online at www.hernandocountycrimestoppers.com. Tipsters will remain anonymous and may be eligible for a cash reward of up to $5,000.
