Banning Contractor Suspected Of Elder Abuse, Forgery And Theft

BANNING, CA — A Banning man is suspected of stealing checks and siphoning thousands of dollars from a Yucaipa retiree's checking account, according to the Yucaipa Police Department.

Brian Marquez, 35, of Banning, was arrested on June 8 at his Yucaipa Boulevard home and booked at the Central Detention Center in San Bernardino. According to Detective Shelton of the Yucaipa station, he was arrested on suspicion of financial elder abuse, grand theft, and forgery.

Marquez was released on bail the next day, and authorities are seeking additional information about the allegations.

On March 22, the Yucaipa Police learned that a retiree was missing several thousand dollars from his bank account.

The unidentified victim told police he hired Marquez to complete video camera work at his home. He then paid Marquez by check for a portion of the completed work. Sometime later, he discovered a large sum of money was siphoned from his account, and numerous checks were missing from his checkbook, according to detectives involved in the case.

The missing checks "appeared to have been forged and cashed by Marquez," amounting to a loss of several thousand dollars, detectives contend.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is urged to contact Detective Daniel Shelton of the Yucaipa Police Station at 909-918-2305. Call 800-78-CRIME to remain anonymous, or register your tip on the www.wetip.com hotline.