VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — Nearly two dozen arrests have been made in Volusia County in a check fraud ring that was operating in several central Florida counties, authorities said.
The Volusia County Sheriff's Office and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service led a group of central Florida law enforcement agencies in an investigation that spread over four counties, according to deputies.
Volusia County deputies said a group of 20 or more suspected mail thieves targeted high-end neighborhoods.
Three of the defendants, Sean Drawdy, Lonnie Creech and Bruce Robb, are facing federal charges for their part in the ring, which authorities said was responsible for more than $30,000 in losses in fraudulent bank transactions, according to deputies.
The thieves looked for red flags up on mailboxes and stole the checks inside, which led authorities to call the investigation "Operation Red Flag." Creech said to investigators, "If the red flag is up, game on," according to the affidavit.
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Investigators said the ringleader, Drawdy, studied fraud and learned about it by watching shows like “Dateline.”
Others in the group practiced writing signatures and changing numbers on checks to get more money from them, deputies said.
Investigators said they seized three vehicles and nearly 100 checks, some of which were found in Creech's possession.
A ledger containing names and Social Security numbers of some of the victims and practice signatures was also recovered, according to deputies.
“The organization developed a refined method of operation, from the selective targeting of certain neighborhoods or areas, to the method of forgery and culminating in the techniques used to utter the forged checks,” investigators wrote in the affidavit.
Some of the related thefts were covered by Channel 9 in the last six months.
Volusia County Sheriff Ben Johnson said the group was very organized in how it operated to avoid getting caught.
"They'd normally work in a three-man team where they'd steal (the checks), they'd have a driver, and Drawdy would be in the car and the third person would go in to cash the checks," Johnson said.
The investigation began when a $250 check stolen from a residential area was altered and cashed for $450, deputies said.
"You'd think at double 7's I'd have enough sense to not put my mail out at night and put my flag up," said victim Alan Crouch.
The ring was linked to more than 70 cases in central Florida and the Volusia County Sheriff's Office investigated nearly 30 of them, according to authorities.
Drawdy never cashed the checks himself because he has an extensive criminal record and referred to himself as the "boss," investigators said.
Investigators said the group stole the checks so they could buy drugs, including methamphetamine.
"Actual loss of money was $35,000, and during the arrest another $50,000 in checks were recovered," Johnson said.
In addition to confessions from several defendants, investigators have physical evidence linking the organization to a trail of crimes, including personal identification, thumbprints, recovered checks and surveillance video from many of the bank transactions, the affidavit said.
Crouch said he was surprised the suspects were able to cash the checks.
"Looks like they're going to get what they deserve," said Crouch.
Additional charges are expected to be filed as the investigation continues, deputies said.