'Violent' Man With 133 Priors Wanted For Theft On Cape Cod: PD

YARMOUTH, MA — A Boston-area man with 133 entries on his adult criminal record is sought in connection with an organized theft ring, police said. Yarmouth police are searching for 48-year-old Nelson Quinonez, who they described as "violent," after the owner of a local business reported forged checks from his company were cashed at several locations in the Central Massachusetts area.

The owner received a call from a TD Bank employee, who said a man named Nelson Quinonez attempted to cash one of his checks, according to police. Quinonez claimed the check was for work done for the company, but the owner told the bank he did not employ anyone by that name, police said. TD Bank did not cash the check.

Investigators matched Quinonez to a man on security footage from TD Bank branches in Shrewsbury and Worcester using his license photo, police said. His listed address was the Pine Street Inn, a homeless shelter in Boston.

Quinonez currently has 133 adult entries on his criminal record and outstanding warrants for his arrest on charges of assault and battery by means of a dangerous weapon, narcotics distribution, forgery and uttering a false check, and motor vehicle offenses. His criminal background includes convictions for drug dealing, larceny, receiving stolen property, breaking and entering, assault and battery by means of a dangerous weapon, armed robbery and possession of burglarious tools, police said.

Investigators believe Quinonez is part of an organized theft ring that recruits individuals living at homeless shelters to cash stolen checks, police said. Members of this organization will obtain the names of the check cashers, and then have those names preprinted on the check in order to increase the appearance of its legitimacy, police said.

They will then transport the check cashers to various banks in order to negotiate the stolen checks. Once the checks are cashed, they will provide the check cashers with a portion of the proceeds before either returning them to the homeless shelter or dropping them off at a mass transit facility, according to police.

Quinonez's location is currently unknown. Anyone with information is asked to contact their local police department, the Massachusetts State Police, or the Yarmouth Police Department at 508.775.0445 extension 2122.