BROOKINGS A member of an out-of-state ring that was stealing, altering and attempting to pass forged checks at banks in the Brookings area has pleaded guilty to felony grand theft.
Travaris Johnson, 24, of Atlanta, pleaded guilty in an arrangement with the states attorney. He was convicted on one count and sentenced toeight years in the state penitentiary, with the pen time suspended so long as he completesfour years of probation.
Johnson was also sentenced to 111 days in the county jail time served and required to make more than $13,000 in restitution.
Johnson was arrested along with three others on July 12 after an employee at a local bank noticed a forged check and called police.
The suspects left before police arrived, but a bank employee was able to follow the suspects car to Interstate 29.
The South Dakota Highway Patrollater stopped the vehicle on I-29.
In a probable cause statement, police wrote that Johnson and Shankissia Cato, of Loganville, Ga., were involved with stealing mail out of local businesses mailboxes to obtain checks. They then printed fraudulent checks belonging to local businesses and recruited homeless individuals in Sioux Falls to cash the fraudulent checks in Brookings County and the surrounding area.
The suspects were likely involved in similar incidents in Toronto on July 11 and in Brookings in March, according to the statement.
On March 10, a pair of men were arrested after allegedly trying to pass fraudulent checks at two local banks.
According to police reports: One suspect allegedly passed a fraudulent check at a Brookings bank. While the Brookings Police Department was responding to that report, they encountered the second suspect, who was trying to do the same.
Both were eventually arrested.
According to the BPD report then, the suspects told law enforcement they were approached by unknown suspects in Sioux Falls who offered them jobs cashing the checks. The unknown suspects bought the pair clothing and meals before driving them to Brookings to cash the check.
Linehan is the Registers managing editor and welcomes comments at [email protected].
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