Man Steals Check, Forges Amount, Then Has Step-Daughter Cash it

A 42-year-old Muskego man is facing charges after he allegedly stole a check from a health clinic, then had his step-daughter cash it for him without her knowing it was fake.

The man (whom we are not naming here as a minor was involved) was charged in Waukesha County Circuit Court Wednesday with one count of forgery and one count of theft. If convicted, he faces up to nearly seven years in prison and $20,000 in fines.

According to the criminal complaint:

On Sept 30, a woman was at a Muskego health clinic and paid a $40 copay using a $20 bill and $20 check. Later in the day she received a call from staff letting her know the money and check had gone missing and to report the stolen check to her bank.

The next day police discovered a high school girl had gone to an Associated Bank branch on Janesville Road and cashed the check for $20. The teller told police the amount on the check had been changed to $70, but she would only hand out $20 to the girl.

The teller told police the girl is classmates with her son and the girl told her the check had been written out by her grandmother who had changed the amounts.

Police then interviewed the girl who said she was given the check by her step-father and didn’t receive money for cashing it. The man admitted to taking the check and having the girl cash it without knowing it was stolen, saying he needed the money to buy food for his family.

The man is free on a $2,500 signature bond while awaiting trial.