JOHNSON COUNTY, Iowa — Authorities have charged Deavin Baker, 35, of Georgia, as the second individual linked to a wide-ranging check forgery scheme spanning several cities in eastern Iowa.
According to court documents, Baker and alleged co-conspirators used stolen bank account information in July 2023 to print forged checks. They recruited people from shelters and community food pantries, offering $150 a day to cash the checks at banks in Iowa City, Nichols, Lone Tree, Coralville, North Liberty, La Porte City, and Vinton.
At least four forged checks, ranging from $1,800 to $2,900, were successfully cashed, totaling $13,230.13, with two additional attempts made. Investigators found four forged checks in a Cedar Rapids vacation rental rented by one of the suspects.
The co-conspirators printed checks using the recruited individuals’ names, using the stolen funds to buy clothes and burner phones. They coordinated their actions and statements during the fraud attempts.
Mikal McCarty, 35, also from Georgia, had been previously arrested and charged in connection with the scheme. Both Baker and McCarty face charges including Conspiracy to Commit Non-Forcible Felony, First Degree Theft, and ten counts of Forgery.
