Poland Township police nab four suspected of multi-state check scheme

POLAND

Four men suspected of participating in fraudulent check-cashing at numerous PNC banks in Pennsylvania and Ohio were arrested by township police Thursday.

In the Mahoning County jail are: Grantley Lawrence, 23, on a complicity charge; Lamone Lawrence, 29, on a complicity charge; Juzan Spence, 22, on a complicity charge; and Mario Vega, 24, on charges of obstructing official business, complicity, identity fraud, possessing criminal tools, forgery and money laundering, according to jail records.

Township Police Chief Brian Goodin said officers received a tip from another area PNC Bank branch about the suspects.

“Sure enough, they came here,” he said.

Township officers arrested the four men at the PNC branch on U.S. Route 224 in the township. Goodin said an officer caught Vega while he was inside the bank. Goodin and another police officer caught the other suspects in what he described as their getaway vehicle.

Goodin said the men, who are from the New York City area, are suspected of fraudulently using the identities of two PNC customers to cash checks at various locations in Pennsylvania and Ohio.

Although he did not know the exact amount, Goodin said police recovered “a large sum of money” as well as several ID cards.

Township police have notified other police departments about the arrest, meaning the suspects could face additional charges if they are tied to other incidents.