HANCOCK COUNTY — Two Indianapolis man have been accused of cashing four fraudulent checks in late October for over $8,350 in the name of the James Whitcomb Riley Festival Association. Officials said the two each passed two checks at different Greenfield Banking Company branches.
Richard E. Bosley Jr., 51, 700 block of North Denny Street, Indianapolis, was arrested last week and charged with two Level 6 felony counts of theft and two Level 6 felony counts of forgery with the intent to defraud.
Marlon Lavert Coley, 56, 2500 block of Coral Bark Place, Indianapolis, had yet to be arrested by the Daily Reporter’s deadline on Monday, Dec. 13, but is facing the same charges. A warrant for his arrest was issued.
Bosley made an initial appearance via video on Wednesday, Dec. 8, in Hancock County Superior Court 2. Judge Dan Marshall set a cash bond of $300.
According to a probable cause affidavit, officers from the Cumberland Police Department were called to GBC’s Cumberland branch, 12140 E. Washington St., to take a report for fraudulent checks and theft on Nov. 11.
Branch manager Anita Turner, who also happens to be a member of the Riley Festival board and its incoming president, told police she was alerted to the possible fraudulent activity by the Riley Festival Association treasurer, Ted Ochs.
Turner told investigators two men cashed fraudulent checks at GBC branches in Cumberland, Fortville and New Palestine on Oct. 25. The suspects cashed two checks each at different times during the day.
The checks were made out to Bosley and Coley in the amounts of $1,964.50 cashed at the Cumberland branch; $2,219.25 cashed at the Fortville branch; $1,943.15 cashed at the Cumberland branch; and $2,224.50 cashed at the New Palestine GBC location, the affidavit said.
Turner told police that she investigated the checks and discovered they were copies of real checks. Turner stated that the real checks and the fake ones had some subtle differences but that the fake copies — made out to the two suspects — were convincing on their own.
The fraudulent checks had copies of Ochs’ signature and that of the current Riley Festival Association president, Nancy Alldredge, on them, the affidavit said.
Turner told the Daily Reporter, “Neither man has anything to do with the Riley Festival in any way, shape or form.”
Turner provided police with copies of the legitimate checks issued by the Riley Festival Association. One had been lost and never it made it to the vendor. The other three checks were all cashed by the proper individuals before Oct. 25, the affidavit said.
Turner noted they have no idea how the two came up with or made copies of the Riley Festival checks.
Turner told officials that per bank policy, any time an individual wants to receive cash for a personal check, the tellers must check the person’s identification and write the drivers license or identification card number on the back of the check below the endorsement. That happened in this case, the affidavit said.
Two of the checks had Bosley’s name and driver’s license number on them; and two had Coley’s name, Social Security number and driver’s license number on them, the affidavit said.
One bank teller told officials she remembered the festival check because the festival had concluded not long before the date on the check, the affidavit said.
Police received a notarized affidavit from the Riley Festival treasurer, Ochs, stipulating that no one associated with the festival had authorized the transactions to the two men, the affidavit said.
Turner noted an unfortunate amount of fraudulent activity is occurring and that the banking industry works diligently to protect accounts.
“There is not insurance per se, but through the financial institution it is a regulation that the Greenfield Banking Company will follow for the recouping for the customer,” Turner said.
