The perpetrators could be said to get an “A” for creativity, and an “F” for ethics. The Salida Police Department has filed multiple charges against two suspects in a check fraud case that involved extensive investigation involving crimes including cybercrime, check fraud, identity theft, and theft that totaled close to one million dollars.
Image courtesy of the City of Salida.
According to a written statement by Lt. Rob Martellaro of the Salida Police Department the suspects are identified as Christopher Reynolds (age 47) and Amanda Alloy (age 42); both known to be from the Salida area.
On April 23, 2021, Salida Police Detectives obtained arrest warrants for Reynolds and Alloy. The charges on the arrest warrants were:
- One Count of C.R.S. 18-5-102(1) (C) Forgery by Check, as amended, a class 5 Felony
- One Count of C.R.S. 18-2-201 Conspiracy to Commit Fraud by Check, as amended, a Class 6 Felony
- One Count of C.R.S. 18-5-902 Identity Theft (1)(c), as amended, a Class 4 Felony
- One Count of C.R.S. 18-5.5-102 (1)(d)(3)(a) (VII) Cybercrime ($20,000.00 to $100,000.00), as amended, a Class 4 Felony
- One Count of C.R.S. 18-4-401 (1)(a) Theft ($20,000.00 to $100,000.00), as amended, a Class 4 Felony
The arrest warrants were signed by a judge and bond was set on both warrants at $20,000.00, cash-only.
The investigation accumulated over several months
On Jan. 13, 2021, the Salida Police Department was dispatched to the Mountain River Credit Union regarding a check fraud case, involving Reynolds and Alloy fraudulently receiving checks from numerous individuals across the United States. Once Reynolds and Alloy obtained the checks they would deposit the checks into their checking accounts at assorted banks in Salida, Colorado as well as bank accounts they had in the Denver, Colorado area.
Salida Police Detectives obtained a number of search warrants for bank records. Through those bank records, numerous additional victims in other states were identified.
Salida Police Detectives interviewed the potential victims and learned that all of the victims were mailing checks to Christopher Reynolds and Amanda Alloy. The victims reported that they mailed the checks to Reynolds and Alloy on the promise of a government grant. It was reported that the checks being sent to Reynolds and Alloy were payments for taxes and fees.
It was learned that the government grant didn’t exist and it was actually a scam that the victims had fallen into. Victims were identified in several states across the United States. Mountain River Credit Union in Salida was also listed as a victim due to the fact that one of the checks had passed through that institution and they were financially responsible for that check.
In most cases, the victims were notified through social media and advised about the (fake) government grant. Most of the victims in the case were elderly. The case revealed that many of the victims had been involved in the scam up to a year and had lost hundreds of thousands of dollars. The total amount stolen from all of the individuals is believed to be near one million dollars.
Salida Police Detectives worked with a number of police agencies and banking institutions across the United States during the investigation.
Reynolds and Alloy were taken into custody on July 6 on their arrest warrants. They were arrested in the Denver, Colorado area and were together at the time of their arrests. They were subsequently transported to the Chaffee County Detention Center and are being held on the $20,000.00 cash-only bonds. This case was concluded after some minor follow-up after the arrests.
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