Cape man charged in check fraud incidents
A Cape Coral man has been charged with 16 felony counts and one misdemeanor count of fraud and theft after he obtained thousands of dollars in goods using bad checks, according to Lee County Sheriff’s Office officials.
Walter Wayne Weed Jr., 37, of 3608 Del Prado Blvd., intentionally defrauded multiple people in Southwest Florida to obtain approximately $6,000 in property between August and September , said LCSO spokesperson John Sheehan.
Weed was charged with communications fraud, petit theft, eight counts of writing worthless checks and seven counts of grand theft.
Weed, who was already in the Lee County Jail on unrelated theft and fraud charges from the Cape Coral Police Department and State Attorney’s Office, received the charges following an LCSO Economics Crime Unit investigation into worthless checks complaints in the county, Sheehan said.
Detectives said they discovered Weed had written multiple checks from a closed account to purchase a diamond ring, laptop, bedding and puppy, among other items.
The account Weed wrote the fraudulent checks from was closed in July, Fifth-Third bank representatives reportedly told detectives.
The sheriff’s office is asking other victims of Weed’s fraudulent activities to step forward. Anyone who believes they may have been defrauded by Weed should contact the Lee County Sheriff’s Office at 477-1000.
Weed was held in the Lee County Jail on Wednesday evening without bond, jail booking records indicate.
He was jailed for defrauding an innkeeper in 2002, and was charged with a number of theft, burglary and drug charges over the past decade, records show.
To learn more about economic crime prevention, visit: www.sheriffleefl.org/prevention/economiccrime. Or, on the sheriff’s office home page, use the “about us” link and select “economic crimes” from the drop-down box.
The site offers information about Internet fraud, elderly abuse, credit card fraud, scams, worthless checks and frequently asked questions.