PARAGOULD, Ark. — Police have arrested three Memphis men in connection with a check fraud scheme spanning multiple Arkansas counties.
The suspects, Hugo Ayrot-Quintero, Jose Teran Moncayo, and Wilber Montriel-Anez, are being held at the Greene County Detention Center. They face charges including:
Engaging in a continuing criminal gang, organization, or enterprise (Class B felony)
Forgery (Class C felony)
Attempted criminal conduct (Class A misdemeanor)
On March 25, officers responded to a Paragould bank after a reported forgery attempt. They found Moncayo inside the bank attempting to cash a fraudulent check while the other two suspects waited in a vehicle. Police obtained consent to search the vehicle.
Detective Johnathan Porter stated the search uncovered two bank money sleeves with over $4,000 each, lists of bank addresses across two states, transaction dates and totals, damaged checks, bank receipts, and multiple debit cards.
Further investigation revealed that $8,000 in cash had already been fraudulently cashed in Jonesboro earlier that morning. Bank officials reported that similar checks had been successfully processed at multiple branches in Central Arkansas over recent months.
On March 26, Judge Curtis Hitt found probable cause to arrest all three men, setting bonds at $250,000 each. Jail records indicate all three suspects currently have Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) holds.
