Man Uses Fraudulent Checks To Swindle Residents Out Of $6.4K: PD

SILVER SPRING, MD — Police are searching for a man they say used fraudulent checks to swindle two Montgomery County residents out of $6,400. They've released photographs of the suspect in hopes that the public can help identify him.

According to Montgomery County police, both victims were hired by a man to drive him between the area of Boston, Massachusetts, and Wheaton, Maryland. During one of the rides, the suspect — who identified himself to the victims as Carlos Arturo Lemus and Juan Carlos Lemus —asked to make a stop at Live! Casino in Hanover, Maryland.

The suspect paid for the ride with a check that was for an amount greater than the cost of the trip, authorities said. He told the victims, who spoke Spanish, to cash the check and keep whatever he owed them.

Eventually, the victims learned that the checks were fake. The suspect stole about $6,400 from the two drivers, police said.

Photos of the suspect are posted below. The victim took one of the pictures. The other photo was taken from the suspect's social media account. That account has since been deleted, police said.

Anyone with additional information should call detectives at 240-773-5476. Anonymous tipsters can call the county's Crime Solvers at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477). Crime Solvers is offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information that leads to an arrest.

Anyone who believes they were a victim should call detectives at 240-773-5476.