Casper Woman Charged With Three Felony Counts of Forgery
A woman arrested Friday night is accused of forging and cashing stolen checks.
Latasha Lynn Lebeau, 35, appeared Tuesday in Natrona County Circuit Court on three forgery charges. She could face up to 30 years in prison and have to pay $30,000 in fines if convicted on all counts.
Casper police began investigating Oct. 1 when a victim told officers that a woman had tried to cash one of her checks the day before. The check was made out to Lebeau in the amount of $325.
The woman who tried to cash the check, believed to be Lebeau, was unsuccessful -- when the clerk took the check to the back of the store to scan it, the woman took off.
The victim told police she didn't know Lebeau, but added that a man she knew had cashed another one of her checks. The victim said she had never given him any checks, nor had she written any to Lebeau.
Court documents say the victim suspected that a second man may have taken her checks.
On Oct. 31, an officer went to a check-cashing business in Casper, where a clerk said Lebeau had just tried to cash a stolen check.
The clerk reportedly told police that Lebeau on Oct. 26 successfully cashed a check for $150 on an account belonging to a South Dakota woman.
The check Lebeau tried to cash on Oct. 31, for $80, was from the same account.
When the clerk tried to process that check, the system alerted her that Lebeau was involved in a check fraud. As soon as the clerk picked up the phone to call an administrator, Lebeau allegedly ran out through the front doors.
The clerk said Lebeau was picked up by a red SUV with "nice rims" driven by an unknown person. The check-cashing place provided police with a copy of Lebeau's driver's license.
Police called the South Dakota woman and said the checks had been stolen from her house in South Dakota, according to court documents. One of the suspects allegedly involved was a woman name "Tasha," who police were told is Latasha Lebeau.
Lebeau was reportedly last seen in a red Lincoln Navigator.
A detective going through paperwork later found two more checks written in Casper to Pizza Hut and a Casper woman.
That woman on Nov. 20 reported a fraudulent check to a police officer, saying that Lebeau and an unknown man came to her house on Oct. 27 and asked her to cash a check for them.
The woman agreed, so Lebeau and the man allegedly wrote her a check for $650. The man claimed to be the account holder, and he and Lebeau allegedly told the woman they needed her to cash the check because they didn't have an active bank account.
The woman deposited the check and gave Lebeau the money. Before calling police, the woman had just learned that the check was forged and she was responsible for the money.
According to court documents, the woman said she hadn't seen Lebeau since giving her the money.
Lebeau was reportedly on parole at the time. She allegedly missed meetings and failed drug tests, according to the affidavit.
Her probation agent reportedly told detectives on Nov. 29 that Lebeau had absconded and put out a warrant request with the parole board.
The two men allegedly involved along with Lebeau both had warrants out, according to court documents. They could not be located for interviews.
Lebeau's bond was set at $5,000 cash or surety during her initial appearance Tuesday. However, she is being held on the parole revocation as well.