A Clewiston man was arrested Wednesday after allegedly attempting to cash a fraudulent check at a local bank, according to the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies responded to Cadence Bank, located at 14211 Powell Road, around 11:34 a.m. on April 2 after a teller reported a suspicious transaction. The teller had contacted the account holder, who lives in Georgia, who confirmed that the checking account was newly opened and that they had not yet received any checks.
When deputies arrived, they took Javier Martinez, 54, into custody at the bank. An investigation revealed that additional forged checks from the same account had been cashed or attempted to be cashed at other bank branches in multiple counties by suspects other than Martinez.
Martinez told investigators he had been dropped off near the bank by an unknown woman he only knew as “Juan’s girlfriend,” who was driving a white Toyota sedan. He admitted that he suspected the transaction was “shady and wrong” but agreed to participate in exchange for a portion of the check’s value.
Martinez was charged with one count of uttering a forged check and transported to the Hernando County Detention Center. He is being held on a $2,500 bond.
Authorities say additional arrests are pending as the investigation continues.
