BIDDEFORD, Maine — A pair from Atlanta were arrested Monday in connection with a fraudulent check scheme, according to state police.
Kissie Whatley, 36, and Randell Bankston, 46, allegedly defrauded several retail stores in New England of nearly $100,000, according to Maine Department of Public Safety spokesman Stephen McCausland.
The pair allegedly printed counterfeit checks from a computer program and cashed them at a number of large retailers for gift cards and merchandise, which later were returned to the stores for cash, McCausland said.
A search of Whatley and Bankston’s apartment unveiled the check writing operation using a computer and printer, along with multiple phony driver’s licenses and identifications, many from stolen identities in Georgia, North Carolina and Indiana.
McCausland said it’s unclear why Whatley, the alleged ringleader, used Biddeford as a headquarters for the operation. She began renting the apartment in July under a fake ID, and $30,000 of the fake checks are believed to have been cashed in Maine.
In addition, Whatley also used fake ID’s to register a car in Maine and obtain prescription drugs, McCausland said. U.S. Postal Service inspectors were notified by state police, because several of the identities and bank information came via stolen mail.
Whatley is facing charges of aggravated forgery, forgery and theft while Bankston is accused of organized retail theft and misuse of an identification card. Both were taken to the Cumberland County Jail.
