A Revere man, Yerson Yepes, also known as Yeison Yepes Puerta, has been arraigned on charges of attempting to cash a forged check for over $20,000, Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden announced last week. Hayden's announcement stated that the 38-year-old was charged with uttering a counterfeit note, forgery of a banknote, and attempted larceny by check.
Judge David Donnelly ordered Yepes to be held on $750 bail and is expected to return to court on May 1 for a pre-trial hearing. According to the official report, the case began when a 70-year-old victim walked into a Boston police station on October 17 to report the attempted fraud of a $26.36 check, initially meant to pay a utility bill, that had been altered to be made payable to Yeison Puerta for $20,040. The victim stated to have never written such a check and did not recognize the named endorser.
Investigators linked the check to a Santander Bank account owned by Yepes following a failed attempt to clear the drastically altered amount. The report issued by the Suffolk District Attorney's office noted that police discovered a number placed over another indistinguishable number in the check's dollar amount box. The name Yeison Yepes Puerta was also endorsed on the back of the check. The original check had not been paid out, fortunately preventing a significant financial loss for the victim, as the fraud was discovered in time by the bank's own investigative measures.
Hayden stressed the importance of safeguarding financial transactions, saying, "Some fraud attempts are elaborate and sophisticated and some are rather basic, but they're all designed to do one thing: separate people from their money." He highly recommended to "hand it directly to a postal worker or bring it to the post office" when mailing checks. In addition, Hayden regarded paying bills online as the most secure method. In response to the spike in similar schemes, the Suffolk County Fraud Fighters initiative was launched in 2024 to help educate residents, particularly older adults, in identifying and preventing financial fraud.
Hayden further emphasized the district's commitment to public education about common scams through the Fraud Fighters program, with the next seminar set to be held next Thursday at the Neighborhood Network Center in Boston. While these efforts are in place, residents are reminded that accused individuals, such as Yepes in this case, are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. The Suffolk County District Attorney's office oversees a jurisdiction that spans Boston, Chelsea, Revere, Winthrop, and deals with an excess of 20,000 cases annually with over 160 attorneys at the helm.
