A Philadelphia woman accused of forging municipal checks is now in Cincinnati to face charges after prosecutors say she cashed counterfeit checks drawn on the City of Springdale’s operating account. Court papers allege the scheme involved multiple checks worth thousands of dollars, some of which cleared before anyone caught on, and that the suspect was arrested and brought to Hamilton County for arraignment.
According to Local 12, Alisa Dillard is charged with forgery and counterfeiting. Court documents cited by the station state she forged four checks, each for $4,800, and that three of them cleared for a total of $14,800. The report says the checks carried stolen routing and account numbers tied to Springdale's operating account, and that investigators reportedly have images of Dillard cashing the checks at her longtime Philadelphia credit union.
How check fraud schemes work
Federal regulators say altering, counterfeiting, or misusing checks is still a big source of fraud for both everyday customers and financial institutions. The U.S. Treasury's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network found that banks and credit unions filed more than $688 million in suspicious activity tied to mail-theft-related check fraud over a six-month window, with altered or counterfeit checks among the most common methods, according to FinCEN.
State charges and penalties
Under Ohio law, forging or passing counterfeit financial instruments can bring forgery and related felony charges, with penalties that shift depending on the amount involved and the details of the offense. The state’s forgery statutes, which guide prosecutors in cases like this one, are outlined in the Ohio Revised Code.
Local examples and municipal risk
Cases that zero in on municipal or workplace accounts often involve insiders or others with access to routing and account information, which can slow down detection. A recent Hamilton County indictment of a former property manager accused of taking tenant payments shows how access to financial records can be turned against an organization, according to FOX19.
What comes next
Per Local 12, Dillard was set to be arraigned in Hamilton County on Tuesday. The court records referenced in that report do not indicate how investigators believe Springdale's routing and account numbers were obtained. Prosecutors and city officials had not released additional public statements in the initial reporting, and forthcoming filings in Hamilton County court will determine whether the charges change or if any additional defendants are named.
