2 Charged In Check Fraud Scheme, Police Say

FAIRFIELD, CT — Two New Haven men were recently arrested in connection with a scheme to cash fraudulent checks at People's United Bank locations across Fairfield and New Haven counties, according to Fairfield police.

Dajuan A. Crudup, 35, was arrested on a warrant Dec. 3 and charged with forgery and larceny, a report from the department said, while Nathan T. Tart, also 35, was arrested on a warrant Nov. 22 for the same charges. Both bonds were set at $50,000.

The incident that led to the charges happened May 20, when Kenny Tyran Wright, 29, of Bridgeport, was apprehended inside the People's United Bank at 1940 Black Rock Turnpike in Fairfield for trying to pass a fraudulent check worth almost $1,000, according to the report. Many fraudulent checks had been presented in connection with a business's account that day at bank locations in Hamden, Milford, Orange, and two addresses in Bridgeport, causing the bank to put a hold on the account, the report said.

Police said the incident followed an increase in complaints about checks being stolen from U.S. Postal Service mailboxes and cashed or copied. Wright was charged in May with larceny and forgery, and his case is in the pre-trial stage, according to court records.

After losing more than $4,000, the victimized business sought charges against the remaining suspects, the report said, leading to the arrests of Crudup and Tart.