A Philadelphia man is facing felony theft and forgery charges after he allegedly came into possession of a check from a Lansdale business, altered the amount of the check, changed the recipients name to his own and then cashed it at a local bank.
Police were contacted by the victim during the afternoon of March 9 regarding check fraud. The victim said they had placed an envelope containing a check for $277.21 into the outside drop box at the Lansdale Post Office on Dec. 30, which was intended for another business. When they checked their banking statements, however, they noticed that the same check was cashed in the amount of $2.345.21 on Jan. 5, with the check being made out to a “William M. Stein” from North Cambria, according to charging documents.
Investigators ran a background check on the name “William M. Stein,” which showed an arrest on felony fraud and forgery charges in Montgomery Township from January and an arrest on felony forgery and theft charges in the Borough of Hatboro from February. Police then secured the surveillance footage from the bank where the check was cashed, which allegedly showed a suspect matching the mugshots of Stein’s previous two arrests.
As a result of the investigation, 29-year-old William Stein, of Philadelphia, has been charged with felony counts of forgery, theft by unlawful taking, receiving stolen property, counterfeit access device and theft by deception. Bail was set at $77, which — as we previously reported — is a code indicating there is a probation or parole detainer being filed following the arrest.
Court records show Stein remains in custody at the Montgomery County Correctional Facility. His next court appearance is a preliminary hearing on May 25 at 9:30 a.m. in front of District Judge Ed Levine.
All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using court records and the affidavit of probable cause.
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