HEBER CITY, Utah, April 21, 2024 (Gephardt Daily) — A complainant who called Heber City police to report harassments from a local shopkeeper found himself booked into jail after the shopkeeper provided evidence he was only trying to recover the $7,000 the complainant and two other suspects had scammed from him.
The caller, 33-year-old Jose Carlos Cordova-Dominguez, contacted police for help on Saturday. An officer went to the shop in question.
“I went to the local business and made contact with the business owner. I explained to him the reason for the contact which was the complainant alleging harassment,” says an affidavit filed by an officer of the Heber City Police Department.
“The business owner then started to explain that all he was trying to do is attempt to locate the money he was scammed out of. He then stated that the complainant and two other suspects had come into his business and had some checks cashed. He was able to provide copies of the checks along with identification cards for all three suspects.”
The shop owner said he cashes checks for customers for a surcharge.
“Once he went to his bank to clear and deposit the checks, the bank informed him that the checks were bad. The amount of the three checks totaled $7,000. The business owner had been part of a similar fraud case months prior against his business, which was reported to police.”
The officer collected evidence of the checks being passed by three suspects at the business, and the bank’s assessment of the bad checks, and then he called back Cordova-Dominguez.
“I explained to him the proof and evidence I was given by the business owner that he was accusing of harassment was showing that him and the other two subjects were part of a premeditated organized scam to take cash from local businesses.
“The complainant then admitted to have cashed the check at the local business, I then asked him to provide me with contact information for the other two subjects and he refused.”
The Heber City Police officer noted he had information on one other suspect from the check.
“I went to the complainant’s residence and placed him under arrest for issuing a bad check, and unlawful acts (racketeering).”
A search warrant for the residence of Cordova-Dominguez turned up identification the arresting officer recognized as fake.
Cordova-Dominguez was booked into the Wasatch County jail for investigation of:
- Issuing bad check or draft of value more than $5,000, a second-degree felony
- Pattern of unlawful activity, a second-degree felony
- Two counts of forgery, a third-degree felony
- Obstruction of justice, a class A misdemeanor
Cordova-Dominguez was ordered held without bail.
