Alleged bad-check passers pick on the wrong small town, go to jail

Two men are under arrest on allegations of trying to pass bad checks and holding fake drivers licenses, Lemoore police said.

The bust in Lemoore, a city of 26,000 near Fresno, happened Thursday afternoon when police received a call from a business in the 100 block of West Hanford-Armona Road about two men trying to pass a counterfeit check.

The caller from the business told police that a man tried to cash a check there but it seemed like it was fake. The business said it had called the bank and was told it was indeed a fraudulent check and to call police.

Officers found the two men and after looking at the check took them into custody. The men gave them false names, but they were later identified as Jose Aldana, 33, and Erick Vasquez, 43, both residents of the Los Angeles area.

Officers discovered two more fraudulent checks and three fake identification cards, two of them California drivers licenses.

Aldana and Vasquez were booked into the Kings County Jail on suspicion of giving false names to police, identity theft, conspiracy, burglary, forgery and possession of falsified drivers licenses. Aldana’s bail was set at $130,000 and Vasquez’s at $250,000.

Police believe they are part of a larger group cashing bad checks in the area.

Anyone with information should contact the Lemoore Police Department at 559-924-9574.

This story was originally published July 28, 2017 at 6:35 PM with the headline "Alleged bad-check passers pick on the wrong small town, go to jail."