PROVO, Utah, Jan. 14, 2021 (Gephardt Daily) — A fugitive wanted in Arizona was booked into the Utah County Jail Wednesday after police say he altered and cashed stolen checks in Utah in September and again on Monday.
Jeffrey Dean Bingham, 42, is being held on charges of:
- Two counts of criminal simulation, a second-degree felony
- Pattern of unlawful activity, a second-degree felony
- Three counts of forgery, a third-degree felony
- Two counts of issuing a bad check, a third-degree felony
- Two counts of theft by receiving stolen property, a class B misdemeanor
Police statement
A probable cause statement says Bingham and his 15-year-old son entered the Mountain American Credit Union and cashed a stolen, altered check for $1,957.63 on Sept. 21.
“Bingham had altered the check to show the check was made out to ‘Jeff Bingham,’” the statement says. “The check belonged to Salt Lake Hardware Supply in
Bluffdale, Utah and was reported stolen. The victim stated they did not know Bingham and did not write any checks to his name. Bingham and his son were positively identified using his vehicle registration information and photos from the surveillance cameras.”
The next day, Bingham, traveling with his son, reportedly cashed another stolen, altered check at a Provo Zions Bank. The check was for $2,059.91, the statement says.
“Bingham had again altered the check to show that it was made out to ‘Jeff Bingham.’ The check belonged to Bruce Drechsel Electric Inc. located in South Jordan, Utah. The check was reported stolen.”
Officials say they learned Bingham was a wanted fugitive out of Maricopa County, Arizona.
“Bingham has an outstanding full extradition arrest warrant for aggravated identity theft (Felony 2),” the probable cause statement says. “It was also found that Bingham had committed multiple felony frauds throughout the states of Utah, Idaho, and Arizona with reports made to multiple Police agencies. Bingham and his son were identified by video/photo surveillance in those cases.”
Printing and check-altering materials were found in Bingham’s vehicle, the statement says.
“It was reported that Bingham would pay for hotel rooms using the cash received from the fraudulent checks.
“Separately, a Zions Bank Fraud investigator contacted the Provo Police Department and reported multiple counterfeit items, and altered checks by Bingham. These checks totaled to $12,722.38 against several Zions Bank customers. The fraudulent episodes occurred multiple times between Oct. 15, 2020 and Dec. 22, 2020 across multiple county and state boundaries. Zions Bank reported they had sustained a total loss of $10,586.11 at the time of their report.”
Arrest
Following a reported Jan. 11 crime, again the cashing of a stolen, altered check, Bingham was located Wednesday in Draper by the Draper Police Departments, working with the Provo PD, the statement says.
“After confrontation with Draper Police, Bingham barricaded himself in a hotel room with his son,” the statement says. “Draper police made forced entry into the room and Bingham was taken into custody. A Draper Officer sustained minor injuries.”
Separate charges will be filed in Draper Police’s case, the statement says.
