Charges: Man Passed Fake Checks At Twin Cities Target Stores
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – A 34-year-old Plymouth man is accused of leading a check fraud ring involving four other people and thousands of dollars in fake checks being passed at Twin Cities Target stores, according to charges filed in Dakota County Court.
Detphakhanh Bouphasavanh was charged with three felony counts of identity theft in connection with the incidents, which happened between July 26 and Sept. 25, 2014.
According to the charges, police were called to a Burnsville gas station on Sept. 4, 2014, on a report of a suspicious person trying to pass a fraudulent check. Officers stopped the man before he left the parking lot, and he admitted to buy items at the gas station with a fake check but couldn't because he didn't have a valid ID.
The man identified himself as "Heu Pao Moua" to police, who identified his information as false. He then admitted that his name was Detphakhanh Bouphasavanh. The complaint states that a search of him and his property revealed several unwritten checks and Minnesota license papers that didn't belong to him.
He had a total of 21 checks with four different names and different bank accounts as well as eight temporary driver's licenses with four different names, according to the complaint.
Further investigation showed that on Aug. 30, 2014, he was arrested in Brooklyn Park and had seven checks and at least six driver's licenses or ID cards with other people's names. Officers contacted the victims and learned that all of the victims involved had mail stolen, bills that never got paid and fraudulent transactions on their checking accounts. Most of the transactions were at Twin Cities Target stores.
The complaint states Target's fraud department investigated and determined that Bouphasavanh and four others were involved in a check fraud ring. More than 40 fake checks had been passed at various Target stores and another 38 were attempted, totaling more than $23,000.
Target determined four of the checks successfully passed and another nine totaling $3,440 failed. The checks had one victim's name on them and another victim's account number. In total, Bouphasavanh possessed at least 16 victim's names, account numbers, ID cards or other private information.
If convicted on all counts, Bouphasavanh faces up to 30 years in prison and $60,000 in fines.