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Suspect held in 1991 crime A man who police say was involved in bilking local businesses out of $45,000 by cashing bogus payroll checks eight years ago has been captured in Los Angeles. Edgar Lopez, 26, is being held in L.A. County pending extradition on charges of racketeering and first-degree forgery. He also faces charges in California for drug and forgery offenses. Back in 1991, an organized group from the L.A. area came to Southern Oregon to cash counterfeit checks in the name of Reter Fruit Co. High-quality counterfeit payroll checks were produced, complete with anti-theft embossing as well as I.D. for the check passers to use. The group cashed more than 150 of the checks in Medford and Ashland, targeting grocery stores that cash payroll checks. Two people involved in the scheme have already been punished. The gang's leader, Rafael Rubio Lopez, pleaded guilty to racketeering in 1994, was sentenced to 6 months in prison and then was deported to Mexico. His sister, Teresa Lopez, pleaded guilty to forgery in 1995 and was sentenced to 18 months probation. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA