Check Stolen From Wallingford Brewery Fraudulently Cashed: Police

FAIRFIELD, CT — A Hartford woman is accused of fraudulently altering a business check that was cashed for $2,000 more than a Fairfield liquor store owner had issued it for, according to police.

The owner of a liquor store on Black Rock Turnpike reported a fraudulent check to Fairfield police on Oct. 16, according to Lt. Antonio Granata.

The liquor store owner told police his People’s United Bank business check had been fraudulently altered and made payable for $2,000 more than he issued it for. When he called the bank to alert them, he was told the check had been “negotiated by Felicia Michele Cooper for $2,154.40,” according to Granata.

The business check was originally made payable to a brewing company in Wallingford on Sept. 23 for $154.40. It was discovered that the brewery in Wallingford had been burglarized and employees notified the Fairfield liquor store that the business check was stolen during the burglary, Granata said. Police did not say which brewery was burglarized.

Fairfield detectives worked with People’s Bank fraud investigators and determined the check was cashed in person on Sept. 30 at their South Windsor branch. Surveillance images were captured of the woman negotiating the check, and she was required to provide additional identification since she wasn’t a customer of the bank, according to Granata.

The woman’s driver’s license showed the name Felicia M. Cooper of Hartford, Granata said.

Cooper, 31, was arrested Dec. 9 on a warrant and charged with second-degree forgery and third-degree larceny. She was released after posting a $20,000 bond with a court date of March 24, according to state judicial records.