The Waynesboro Police Department has charged a Waynesboro couple involved in a string of check forgeries that bilked two dozen individuals out of approximately $7,200.
Daniel Lee Beverage, 29 years old, and his girlfriend, Desiree Marie Welcher, 23 years old, face six felonies each for their part in the scheme that began in mid-September.
The police department began its investigation in late October after receiving a complaint from an acquaintance of Beverage and Welcher who said the couple swindled her out of nearly $200 after she unknowingly cashed a bogus check for the couple. The Department’s investigation uncovered that Beverage and Welcher had stolen about 30 checks from an elderly relative of Beverage while he was at her Waynesboro home in mid-September. The couple then forged several checks and emptied the victim’s checking account of approximately $1,000.
After that, they would forge a check and ask a friend or acquaintance to cash the check at their bank promising to give them a portion of the ill-gotten cash. After these checks bounced, several of the check cashers reported the crimes to the Police Department. All total, 24 individuals reported having a collective $6,200 taken from them resulting from the scheme.
As part of the investigation, the police department executed a search warrant at the couple’s residence, 319 13th Street, on November 6. Contraband found during the search warrant led police to obtain and execute a second search warrant at the residence for narcotics. Officers found controlled substances during this second search which have been sent to the Department of Forensic Science for examination.
Welcher and Beverage face the following felony charges:
- Forgery (two counts)
- Knowingly Pass a Forged Document (two counts)
- Obtaining Money by False Pretenses (two counts)
Welcher and Beverage are both free on bond.
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