CHEYENNE, Wyo. — A Cheyenne man, James Eric Calkins, 74, has been arrested for allegedly defrauding a local credit union of thousands of dollars using fraudulent checks.
Calkins was taken into custody on Aug. 15 following an investigation by the Cheyenne Police Department into a check fraud scheme that occurred over several weeks. He faces charges of forgery via uttering and theft greater than $1,000, with his bond set at $3,000.
According to an affidavit, officers were called to First Education Federal Credit Union on Aug. 1 after Calkins attempted to cash a fraudulent $4,200 USAA Federal Savings Bank check. The transaction was stopped by the credit union.
Investigators determined that Calkins had successfully cashed three other fraudulent checks in July totaling $13,600: $4,500 on July 22, $4,900 on July 23, and $4,600 on July 25. While the credit union recovered a portion of the funds, the remaining loss amounted to $13,334.63.
An arrest warrant was issued for Calkins on Aug. 11. He is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
