A 26-year-old Hugo woman has been charged with three felonies after allegedly using worthless checks to purchase two vehicles from Eden Prairie dealerships earlier this year.
She was charged via a criminal complaint signed June 17 and filed June 23 in Hennepin County District Court with two counts of theft by swindle and one count of issuing dishonored checks in connection with incidents that occurred in March.
According to the criminal complaint, the woman used a check for $17,682.49 drawn on an account with insufficient funds to purchase a Ford F-150 from Metropolitan Ford on March 14. She later allegedly wrote another check for $6,600.06 to buy a Chevrolet Traverse from Front Line Auto on March 19. Both dealerships are located in Eden Prairie.
Police said the woman’s Ent Credit Union account had minimal deposits and a negative balance at the time the checks were issued. When contacted by officers, she reportedly said payment was being mailed to Metropolitan Ford and that the dealership would “start a lawsuit” if it attempted to repossess the vehicle.
Both vehicles were recovered after being reported stolen – one in Hugo and the other in Minneapolis – and returned to the respective dealerships.
The complaint also notes that the woman had written multiple checks from the same account between January and May, and that additional potential victims are under investigation.
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