East Grand Forks (trfnews.i234.me) — An East Grand Forks woman is facing a felony charge in Polk County after prosecutors alleged she cashed forged checks tied to a closed business account.
According to a criminal complaint, Alixee Rose Bushman was charged with offering a forged check. The charge is tied to checks that investigators said were passed in East Grand Forks in late June 2015.
What The Complaint Says
The complaint says Bushman tried to cash a check at Hugo’s Grocery on July 8, 2015. Store staff reported that two earlier checks, each for $150, had already been cashed on June 26 and June 27.
Those checks were drawn on a Bremer Bank account linked to American Hospitality, Inc., a company based in Grand Forks. The complaint says the checks were later returned because the account could not be found.
Investigators later learned the account had been closed in 2012, according to the complaint.
Statements Cited By Investigators
The complaint says Bushman admitted cashing the two checks. She allegedly told investigators the checks were payment for housekeeping work at Travel Lodge in Grand Forks.
According to the complaint, Bushman said Tessie Kay Hamilton gave her the checks. She also said Hamilton told her to cash them.
The complaint states Bushman was promised $50 from each check. It says Hamilton would keep the other $100 from each one.
Investigators alleged Hamilton filled out the checks before the two arrived at Hugo’s. Bushman then endorsed the checks and cashed them, according to the complaint.
Other Checks Also Reviewed
The complaint says investigators found four more checks from the same closed account. Each was written for $150.
Those checks were allegedly cashed by Hamilton and Donna Jean Reum between June 25 and June 27, 2015.
The complaint says the total value of the checks cashed by Bushman was $300.
Business Owner’s Account
According to the complaint, Gurinder Singh told investigators he helped form American Hospitality, Inc. and opened the Bremer Bank account for the business.
The complaint says Singh told police no checks were ever properly used on that account. He also said he did not authorize Bushman, Hamilton, or Reum to use the checks.
Investigators also alleged that the signatures on the checks were not Singh’s.
Bushman’s charge was filed in Polk County District Court. The complaint cites Minnesota’s forged check law under Section 609.631.
As with all criminal cases, the charge is only an allegation. Bushman is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
I’m Chris Harper reporting for TRF News.
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