Manchester Man Charged with Issuing Bad Checks

A Manchester man is facing felony charges after two local banks reported odd transaction requests on the same day last month.

Matthew D. B. Coppola, 31, of Manchester, was arrested at 3:40 p.m. on Nov. 22, and charged with two counts of issuing bad checks, both felonies, and a single receiving stolen property charge.

According to a Concord Police arrest report and court documents, officers were called to the TD Bank on Sheep Davis Road after a bank manager reported that two attempts were made to cash a check for a large amount money from the same business within an hour of each other. The manager told officers that after the second attempt to cash a large check, the business was called and the owner denied giving permission to cash the check and stated he didn’t know the person cashing the check.

The reporting officer received a copy of the check issued to Coppola, with an address in Raymond, from Linear & Metric Company, a machine manufacturing firm in Londonderry. The amount of the check was for $4,524.14.

The bank manager also stated that a Manchester TD Bank branch was reporting another check cashing attempt a few hours earlier in the day, according to the report.

The officer spoke to the owner of the business who confirmed what the bank manager stated, that he never issued a check to Coppola and didn’t know him.

The officer then spoke to Coppola who was being held in an office at the bank.

Coppola allegedly told the officer that while in Manchester on Pine Street, a vehicle pulled up to him and asked him to assist with a check cashing. The men took a picture of his ID with a cellphone and told Coppola to wait and they would be back. When the men returned, they had checks with his name on them, he alleged. Coppola then reportedly told the officer that they drove him to banks to cash the checks.

“I asked what they gave him as payment, and he stated, ‘Like 200 bucks,’” the officer wrote.

At the Concord TD Bank, Coppola reportedly told the officer that he and another man attempted to cash the check together. When asked information about the other man or the men in the car, Coppola allegedly “stated that he did not know any of the males names that he was working with, he had just met them today.”

While speaking with Coppola, another officer radioed the reporting officer to inform him of another bad check incident at the People’s United Bank on Loudon Road. Coppola allegedly attempted to cash a check at the bank along with another man named Michael Tierney, according to the bank manager. Coppola allegedly confirmed they were at that bank too, according to the report.

People’s United also refused to cash the check, drawn on a company called Construction LLC, according to the officer. The bank manager informed police that the owner of the business also denied knowing Coppola and stated he didn’t have permission to cash a check from the company. That check was valued at $3,547.68.

A screenshot of security cameras at that bank, the officer noted, appeared to be Coppola with a teller but no one else, according to the report.

Coppola was arrested and charged, and held without bail.

Coppola has been arrested a number of times around New Hampshire during the last 13 years, according to published reports. 

In October 2012, he was arrested in Nashua on two counts of criminal threatening (intimidation, etc.), according to the Nashua Police Department. 

In February 2012, Coppola was also arrested in Nashua on three counts of disorderly conduct, according to Nashua NH Patch. 

He was also arrested on a bench warrant with aggravated driving while intoxicated in October 2005 in Hampton, according to the Lowell Sun, and was arrested the same month on an open container violation in Hampton, according to Seacoastonline.com. 

In August 2003, the state revoked his license. 

Back in December 2000, Coppola, who was living in Newton at the time, pleaded no contest to driving after suspension of license charge and found guilty in Plaistow District Court, according to Seacoastonline. 

In October 2000, he was arrested by police on a warrant from Exeter Police connected to two counts of receiving stolen property, according to Seacoastonline.com.