This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Crime & Safety

Man Accused of Trying to Pass Forged Check at Tosa Bank

Police say a Milwaukee man claims he was given the check from another man to cash, but can't say the man's last name, where he lives or his phone number.

A 27-year-old Milwaukee man is accused of trying to pass a forged check at an Associated Bank branch in Wauwatosa.

Matthew Fitzgerald Jeffries was charged last Thursday in Milwaukee County Circuit Court with one count of uttering a forgery. If convicted, he faces up to three years in prison and $10,000 in fines.

According to the criminal complaint:

Find out what's happening in Wauwatosawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

On Monday, Jeffries was a passenger in a car that came to the drive-through at the bank branch and tried to cash a check for $960 written from an account from a Florida company. Just days before the incident, employees at the branch received an email about fraudulent checks being written from that company and cashed at area Associated Bank branches.

Bank employees called police, who arrested Jeffries.

Find out what's happening in Wauwatosawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Jeffries said he just set up a bank account and placed $1,100 into it at one location at North 60th Street and Fond du Lac Avenue. He said that money was given to him by his dancer fiancée because she wanted to buy a house, but when asked he said he didn’t really know her last name.

Jeffries said the check he took to the Wauwatosa branch was given to him by a man named Terrence who called him asking if he could cash it for him. When asked for more information about Terrence, Jeffries said he didn’t know his last name, phone number or address.

Jeffries has been turned over to the JUSTICE 2000 program for supervision while awaiting trial. 

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.

More from Wauwatosa