Man arrested in check-cashing scheme faces additional charges

Staff report

BOARDMAN

A man who Poland Township police arrested last week in a suspected fraudulent check-cashing case now faces additional charges.

Boardman police on Monday arrested Mario Vega, 24, of Arizona, on warrants for telecommunications fraud, forgery, passing bad checks, theft by deception and possessing criminal tools.

According to a police report, those charges stem from an incident reported by a PNC Bank teller last week.

A teller at a Market Street branch told police Thursday a man cashed a check for $2,910 at the bank. Shortly thereafter, Poland Township police arrested Vega at a PNC Bank on Center Road for charges related to fraudulent check cashing. In that case, Vega is charged with money laundering, identity fraud, forgery, possessing criminal tools, obstructing official business and receiving stolen property, according to court records.

Poland Township police said Vega and three other men who were arrested with him are suspected of participating in fraudulent check cashing at PNC banks in Pennsylvania and Ohio.

In the Boardman incident, the bank teller told police Vega presented a check and then provided a New Jersey driver’s license and a credit card as identification, “both with the same name and both now believed to be fraudulent with stolen identities,” according to the report.

Vega remained in the Mahoning County jail late Tuesday.