DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) – A suspect who repeatedly tried to cash bad checks involved other people in a plan to get money from a bank, police said.
The women involved attempted to cash each check at Decatur Earthmover Credit Union (DECU), located at 2600 E. Dividend Dr., in May, according to sworn statements. Police said the plan was orchestrated by Wonda Y. Davis, 49.
Davis first went to DECU on May 8, police said, and opened an account before returning on May 13 to cash a Navy Federal Credit Union check valued at $2,950. Statements said the tellers check came back as “unable to locate account”, and bank employees noticed the check numbers did not match even though the routing numbers did, meaning the check seemed to be altered.
When authorities contacted Davis, they said she couldn’t tell them where the check came from directly.
Three different women then came into the bank to cash checks on May 21 and May 22. Police said two of them brought in two checks, with each showing the same routing and account numbers and coming from Wells Fargo. They said Wonda Davis made out each check to the women.
All checks were valued in the hundreds of dollars, statements said, and two of the women tried to cash them for $1,200 or more in total. The third woman had a check for $800, police said. Each check came back as "not sufficient funds".
After talking to the three women, police said they learned Davis had told them to open accounts with DECU so checks could be cashed. Each of them agreed to do so and split money from the checks with Davis. The women said Davis was with them to cash each check.
Davis is also accused of trying to use nine checks totaling $2,718.16 on April 27 at Von Maur in Forsyth. Those checks were returned for non-sufficient funds, and police said she never attempted to pay when an opportunity to settle her statement was sent in the mail.
Davis faces multiple charges of deceptive practices. Her bail is set at $20,000 in Macon County.
