Two men are in custody on felony fraud charges thanks to two clerks who knew their jobs at convenience stores in Holbrook.
The incidents began at approximately 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, May 26, when a man made a purchase at Fuel Express and paid with a $100 bill. “The clerk looked at the bill and right away knew it wasn’t right, but went ahead with the purchase. Then the suspect and another man drove across the street to Woody’s and made another purchase with a $100 bill,” explained Holbrook Police Chief Mark Jackson.
After the men left, the clerk at Woody’s called police, but someone from Fuel Express was already following the men as they made their way to Wells Fargo, then called police as the men went inside to deposit cash.
Police arrived at the bank, where they arrested Alejandro Moreno, 27, of Bakersfield, Calif., and Arturo Garcia, 22, of Wyoming on suspicion of passing forged $100 bills.
According to Jackson, the two men had left Texas and were making their way to California when they stopped in Holbrook.
“They kept all of their receipts for every purchase they made along the way. They probably made 20 to 30 purchases without being caught, but two clerks here spotted them right away,” stated Jackson, adding that he intends to award the clerks with certificates recognizing their good work. One of the men had three of the fraudulent bills in his pocket and a search of their car revealed at least 40 other fraudulent $100 bills.
The two men were booked into Navajo County Jail on three counts each of forgery, and fraudulent schemes and artifices. The Federal Bureau of Investigations has taken over the case.
