FREDERIKSTED — Detectives from the Economic Crimes Unit disrupted a fraudulent check cashing scheme devised by two St. Croix men that netted $1,000, authorities said.
The ECU investigation revealed that sometime in April of 2022, while Ariel Petersen Sr., was washing the victim’s vehicle, Petersen Sr. took the victim’s check book from his vehicle, then wrote two
checks in the amount of $500.00 each, the Virgin Islands Police Department said.
One check was written out to himself, Ariel Petersen Sr., and the other check was written to an accomplice, without the victim’s permission, according to the VIPD. Subsequently, each check was cashed at Moe’s Gas Station, causing the business to suffer a loss of $1,000.00.
On December 2, 2022, at approximately 11:02 a.m., detectives with the VIPD’s Economic Crimes Unit executed an arrest warrant and placed Hector Bermudez Jr., who is the accomplice of Petersen Sr., under arrest at the Banco Popular bank located in Estate Cane, Frederiksted, without incident.
Bermudez, 61, was transported to the Wilbur H. Francis Command Police Station, where he subsequently provided a statement admitting to cashing one of the stolen checks, VIPD Communications Director Glen Dratte said.
Bermudez Jr. was charged with forgery, obtaining money by false pretense and grand larceny, according to Dratte.
Bermudez was then processed and booked. Bail for Bermudez was set at $20,000.00. Unable to post bail, he was remanded to the Bureau of Corrections pending an advice-of-rights hearing scheduled for Monday, December 5, 2022.
