A man and woman have been charged in connection with a check forging scheme and mail fraud, according to the McDowell County Sheriff’s Office.
Justina Beltran, 24, of Morganton, is charged with felony forgery of endorsement and felony larceny of chose in action.
Jacob Levi Hensley, 24, of Nebo, was also charged with felony larceny of chose in action and felony forgery of an instrument.
Investigators said Hensley and Beltran acted together in check forging schemes and mail fraud and are responsible for numerous crimes associated with multiple victims across McDowell County.
On Sept. 3, a Marion resident told investigators that he had put a personal check in the mail that morning to pay a credit card bill. Later in the day, he received a call from State Employees Credit Union in Marion notifying the victim of an attempt to cash the stolen check, from someone else.
On Oct. 2, investigators said a person reported finding pieces of mail lying on the ground on Old Greenlee Road. Among the items were two checks, one of which appeared to have been altered with Beltran’s name, according to investigators.
The owner of one of the checks told investigators their name and monetary amount written on the check had been altered, and believed the check had been stolen from either the Marion Post Office, where it was originally dropped off, or from the intended recipient’s address.