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CLOUDY Temp: 36 °F Wind: CLM at 0 mph Wednesday, April 2, 2003 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend March 18, 2003 Check fraud scheme leads to two arrests By SARAH LEMON Mail Tribune With the help of local businesses, police say they nabbed two suspects in the latest of four traveler’s check forgery schemes to hit Medford in the past month. Two men from San Jose, Calif., were arrested after allegedly cashing forged American Express traveler’s checks at 27 Rogue Valley businesses. One of the suspects, 44-year-old David Yearwood Merritt, pleaded not guilty in Jackson County Circuit Court Monday to charges of racketeering, two counts of first-degree forgery and three counts of criminal possession of a forged instrument. Also arrested was 24-year-old Travis Kendall McIntosh. He faces charges of racketeering and two counts each of first-degree forgery and criminal possession of a forged instrument. He has entered no plea. A grand jury indicted both men last week. They remain in jail on $100,000 bail each. Driving a rented, black GMC Yukon from California to Medford, the two men blanketed the town in forged $100 traveler’s checks in less than 24 hours on March 6 and 7, police said. Dressed in suits and carrying fake Nebraska driver licenses, the two men purchased items priced between $10 and $20 — including food, phone cards, gas for their vehicle and cigarettes — and collected the cash, said Medford police detective Sue Campbell. "They covered quite a bit of ground in the short time that they had to operate," Campbell said. Many stores contacted police within minutes of realizing the checks were forged, leading police to believe the suspects still were in town, investigators said. A clerk at Jackson’s men’s clothing store in the Medford Center refused to accept one of the checks because the suspect appeared nervous, Campbell said. The clerk then called police with the Yukon’s license plate number. Officers in unmarked cars arrested the men at the Bear Creek Plaza and recovered almost $2,700 in cash and nearly 650 forged American Express traveler’s checks that most likely were scanned into a computer and printed on a color printer, Campbell said. Decorative foil commonly used on award certificates was transferred onto the checks where the hologram should have been, she said. "I think that with our technology, it makes it pretty simple and pretty tempting," Campbell said. The suspects coated their hands with super glue to avoid leaving fingerprints on the checks, investigators said. Within the past month, three other alleged forgery schemes were reported in Medford. Susan Diane Clay, 51, 23-year-old Renee Monique Webb and 45-year-old Cynthia Diana Freeman, all from Oakland, Calif., were arrested in February after trying to cash a forged Thomas Cook traveler’s check at Sherm’s Thunderbird Market. "The reason why they do it in Oregon is that it’s pure profit," said Medford police Lt. Mike Moran, explaining that because Oregon has no sales tax, suspects keep the items they purchase plus the full amount of cash they receive. Merchants in the Rogue Valley Mall and a local gas station also reported receiving forged traveler’s checks within the past month, police said. However, no arrests were made in those cases. Reach reporter Sarah Lemon at 776-4487, or e-mail [email protected] . Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy Website Feedback A D V E R T I S E R S