Accomplice Rats Out Forger In Bank Swindling Job: Prosecutor

ORLAND PARK, IL -- A Chicago man was accused by his accomplice of providing altered checks and other documents while attempting to defraud an Orland Park bank, prosecutors said. Wesley Sykes, 56, appeared before Cook County Judge Peter Felice on a charge of forgery/altered documents. His alleged accomplice, Maurice Sykes, 39, is already being held on the same charges in Cook County Jail in lieu of $60,000 bail.

According to the prosecutor, Sykes and Graves went to Marquette Bank’s 159th Street branch on June 21. The two reportedly arrived in Sykes 1976 Cadillac. Graves went into the bank branch where allegedly produced fraudulent documents procuring $1,680. The prosecutor said that Graves told police that he did the swindling, while Sykes provided the forged documents.

Orland Park police obtained a search warrant for Sykes’ Caddy where they found assorted forged documents, including altered birth certificates, social security cards, and a social security card belonging to a woman which had Sykes’ named on it, the prosecutor said. Officers also found a forged social security card with a non-existent number.

The prosecutor told the judge that the 56-year-old accused forger has seven prior felony convictions, the latest a 2015 theft charge. Other past convictions are for forgery and possessing fraudulent ID

Bail for Sykes was set at $30,000. He is due back in court Aug. 15 in Bridgeview.