YOUNGSTOWN Area men indicted on bank fraud charge

Authorities say 10 financial institutions lost nearly $250,000 in the fraud.
YOUNGSTOWN -- A federal grand jury in Cleveland indicted four area men on bank fraud charges.
Emily M. Sweeney, U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, said the indictments were handed up Thursday.
Charged are Wickie Tutt Jr., 31, and Brian Hilliard, 24, both of Tenth Street, Struthers; Elijah Underwood, 24, of Willis Avenue, Youngstown; and Larry Copeland, 39, of Ferndale Avenue, Youngstown.
All four men were arrested about one month ago, and all but Hilliard remain in custody. Hilliard was released on home confinement with electronic monitoring, Sweeney said in a press release.
The scheme
Tutt is accused of producing and cashing numerous counterfeit checks between July 16, 2001, and May 24, 2002, at about 10 financial institutions, which lost nearly $245,000 in the scam.
Copeland and Underwood are accused of receiving counterfeit checks from Tutt and cashing them. The checks to Copeland, cashed between July 2001 and May 2002, are valued at nearly $193,000, while the ones to Underwood, cashed between November 2001 and April 2002, were valued at more than $31,000.
The charge against Hilliard alleges he participated in the fraud by driving Copeland to various banks to cash the counterfeit checks.
The men could face maximum penalties of 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine.
The charges are the result of a joint investigation by the FBI, the U.S. Secret Service, the Ohio State Highway Patrol, the Pennsylvania State Police and police departments in Stow, Kent, Niles, Struthers and Boardman.