Two men from Rochester are being accused of running a check-cashing scam against a Batavia resident and one of them is facing a felony charge as a result.
Brian N. Miles, 25, is charged with attempted forgery 2nd, criminal possession of stolen property 5th, and criminal possession of a controlled substance 7th.
Marcus D. Snow, 23, is charged with conspiracy 5th.
On Monday, the Sheriff's Office received a report of somebody outside the ESL Federal Credit Union trying to solicit people to cash a check for them.
The scheme worked like this, according to the Sheriff's Office: The suspect asks a citizen to cash a check for them at a local bank under the pretense they do not have identification on them or that they are not a member. If the citizen agrees to cash the check, the citizen withdraws the deposited funds and the cash is turned over to the scammer. The suspect provides the mark with a small monetary sum for assisting them. The checks are either fraudulent or stolen and not backed by real U.S. currency. The citizen loses the money associated with the deposited check once the check bounces.
At the time of his arrest for allegedly executing such a scheme against a Batavia resident, Miles reportedly possessed crack cocaine.
Both suspects were released on appearance tickets since, under current NY law, their offenses do not qualify for a cash bail requirement.
