A Connecticut woman is facing felony theft charges in Schuylkill County after a local fire company’s social club reported having been robbed of nearly $10,000 via a stolen check last year.
According to court documents, police in West Mahanoy Township were contacted by the president of Shenandoah Heights Fire Co.’s social club regarding a theft of money from the club’s checking account.
Gina Mays, president of the social club, reportedly told police that after she’d submitted the club’s tax information to a local accountant, she learned that a check had been made out for $9,641 to a person named Jeslie Sanjurjo-Lopez, 30, and deposited into an account with American Eagle Credit Union in East Hartford, Connecticut.
Police say they were able to contact Sanjurjo-Lopez via phone. She reportedly told police that in October last year, she was contacted by a friend, Kevin Torado, who asked her if she wanted to make some money. He asked for her banking information with the credit union and she gave it to him. Later, a check from Shenandoah Heights Fire Co. was deposited in the amount of $9,641.
After a few days, Sanjurjo-Lopez says, $5,000 was cleared and that she met with Tirado and another unidentified man from New York at an American Eagle Credit Union location in Connecticut. She says she withdrew the $5,000 that had cleared and gave $3,700 of it to Tirado and the other man while keeping the remaining $1,300, which she reportedly used to pay bills and provide for her children.Â
Sanjurjo-Lopez tells police that she then gave her account card to Tirado and tried to send Tirado the remaining $4,641 from her account but was not successful in doing that.
Several days later, Sanjurjo-Lopez says the credit union contacted her and said her account was in the red by $9,000 and was closed.
Police say Sanjurjo-Lopez reportedly told police that she knew what she was doing was illegal and wanted to cooperate with the investigation. She also reportedly told police that she’d never been to Pennsylvania, does not know anyone from the fire company, and that she did not endorse the check that was deposited into her account.
Sanjurjo-Lopez has been charged with theft, receiving stolen property, and conspiracy to commit theft, all third degree felonies.
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