JACKSON TWP. — A man from New York City was arraigned Wednesday on allegations he altered and cashed a check mailed by a township resident to pay a utility bill.
Jackson Township police allege Brandon Elias Bueno, 24, of Bronx, obtained a check that was mailed by a man on Meadowcrest Drive on Dec. 12 to a utility company in the amount of $59.16, according to court records.
Police in court records allege Bueno altered the check to $7,501.16 and changed the payable to himself before cashing the check at a branch of Wells Fargo Bank in New York City on Dec. 15.
The man noticed the discrepancy while reviewing his bank statement.
Bueno was arraigned by District Judge Thomas Malloy of Wilkes-Barre on charges of identity theft, forgery and theft. Bueno was jailed at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility for lack of $10,000 bail.