Bogus Checks Get Man 10 Years Jail Time

Michael Anthony Rosales, of Zolfo Springs, was sentenced Monday morning to 10 years in prison for charges of fraud, grand theft and forgery for possessing bogus checks and trying to cash them at local businesses last fall.

Rosales, 32, reached a plea agreement with state prosecutors, who were seeking 55 counts of possessing counterfeit payment instruments.

Instead of facing each count, Rosales entered a guilty plea to nine of the counterfeit counts, on top of the theft, fraud and forgery counts.

Rosales was arrested last November, after Sebring Police Cpl. Vivian Buck questioned him outside of the City Food Mart, located at 709 N. Ridgewood Drive, in Sebring.

Rosales allegedly supplied co-defendant Jessica Elena Garcia, 22, of St. Petersburg, with a counterfeit check for $465 to cash at L & M Food Store, located at 1411 Roseland Ave., Sebring.

The check was listed under the account name DeMott Auction Co. Inc., which led L & M store owner Hassan Warid to believe it to be a fake.

After Garcia left L & M, Warid called the police and followed the suspects to the City Food Mart where Buck questioned Rosales in the parking lot.

While Buck was questioning Rosales, Garcia reportedly tried to cash the same $465 check inside the City Food Mart.

After Buck questioned Rosales for a driver's license, which was not supplied, she began a search of the inside of the vehicle, and found a Wauchula State Bank bag containing 44 fraudulent checks, as well as several other bogus checks in a cup holder. Several fake driver's licenses corresponding to the names on the checks were also found.

Buck also found computer equipment that could be used to print checks and blank check materials.
Police then tried unsuccessfully to contact the DeMott number listed on the check, which was disconnected.

Garcia will be in the Highlands County Courthouse on Oct. 29, for sentencing. She entered a guilty plea on May 8 to the same counts as Rosales.