A former Meineke Auto Care employee has found himself in legal trouble after an alleged check-forging scheme amounting to over $43,000. Tyberius Jose Washinski, 24, of Greensburg, is accused of cashing more than 80 fraudulent payroll checks originally issued in 2021 from the repair shop located on Route 30 in North Huntingdon Township.
Reported by WPXI, the suspect allegedly altered dates on the checks to reflect 2024 or 2025 and changed part of the magnetic ink character recognition (MICR) number. The fraudulent activities came to light after the owner of the Meineke business discovered the inconsistencies and alerted the police.
Authorities utilized bank surveillance footage and mobile deposit records to link the checks to Washinski. According to detectives, found bank videos found matched his distinctive tattoos and the vehicle he drove, as reported by CBS News Pittsburgh. These details are part of the theft, forgery, receiving stolen property, and access device fraud charges Washinski is now facing.
Investigators, having connected the dots, claim all the altered checks were made payable to Washinski. Police revelations include that most checks were deposited via mobile means, which allowed them to narrow down possible deposit locations and partially reconstruct account numbers. These checks, detectives say, were handled cautiously by the Meineke Car Care Center; they had stopped issuing this type of payroll check in January of 2025.
