A man from Pasco County was recently cuffed after trying to cash a bogus check at a local bank. The suspect, identified as Daniel Ryan Lawless, a transient, faced deputies with his alibi when they reached the scene at Capital City Bank on Cortez Boulevard – recognizing the fraudulent nature of his act, as Hernando County Sheriff's Office detailed the incident via social media.
Last Thursday, as per the Hernando County Sheriff's Office report, Lawless walked into the bank around ten in the morning with a check for $1,800, seemingly issued by the Board of County Commissioners Dixie County but when the teller dialed up the Commission's Financial Director, they cracked the case wide open confirming the check's authenticity was as real as a three-dollar bill, from this affirmative response Lawless was in for a world of legal trouble. Lawless tried to spin a yarn about meeting two men – complete strangers – in a white sedan in Pasco County who promised a quick buck in exchange for his personal details, but his story crumbled under scrutiny.
Lawless purportedly met with these strangers the following day, and then they handed him the check, instructing him to pose as a janitor to the bank staff, he knew better, Lawless admitted that he was aware of not being an employee of said organization and the check's nebulous origins only highlighted his desperate gamble. His scheme did not pay off, ending instead with charges for uttering a forged instrument and criminal use of personal identification and a $2,000 bond set for his release.
Hernando County Crime Stoppers is on the lookout for leads, urging anyone with information to come forward and promising anonymity and possibly a cash reward that might go as high as $5,000 – tips can be phoned in at 1-866-990-TIPS or submitted online.
