Man Charged in Carjacking Case Accused of Stealing Checks from Rochester Catering Company
Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News)- A Rochester man awaiting trial in a carjacking case is facing new charges in a theft case involving checks stolen from a local catering company.
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The criminal complaint, filed in Olmsted County Court on Tuesday, alleges the swindle scheme occurred after the alleged carjacking but before he was charged in that case.
The court document also says he obtained access to two bank accounts after obtaining the checks.
Read More: Man Charged After Violent Carjacking in Southeast Rochester
18-year-old Dakaree R’Moni Johnson is charged with theft-by-swindle and check forgery.
Rochester Man Accused of Stealing Checks from Local Catering Company
A Rochester catering company, which is not named in the complaint, reported six checks were stolen then cashed via mobile deposit by two bank account holders last November after an event.
The checks were cashed by account holders who did not provide services to the business.
Rochester police identified both of the accounts and spoke with the owner of one account that received five of the six deposits.
Account Holder Reports Giving Login Info to Caller
The owner told investigators he got a call from a person claiming to be from his bank saying there was a fraud alert on his account. The man said he provided his account login to the caller, according to the court document.
Investigators learned a new device had logged into the account on November 3. Banking records showed $3,298 was sent via Apple Pay to an account connected to Johnson, according to the complaint.
$3,500 in stolen checks were deposited in the person’s account, the complaint says.
Police Connect Account Holder to Check Theft Suspect
A $3,629.14 check stolen from the business was deposited in the other account. Investigators learned the owner of that account and Johnson were in custody together at the Olmsted County Jail last October.
$2,298 was transferred from that person’s account to Johnson after the stolen check was deposited, the complaint says.
The total value of the stolen checks was $7,129.14, according to the court document.
Johnson has been in the Olmsted County Jail since January, when he was charged in the carjacking case. His next court appearance in the check fraud case is scheduled for May.
