A New York man has been indicted in Ohio after allegedly attempting to buy 50,000 postage stamps with a fraudulent cheque.
Christopher R Ellis, 24, from Newburgh, was charged by a Geauga County grand jury with one count of attempted grand theft and two counts of forgery, according to prosecutors.
The case began on 19 August, when police were called to a post office in Chardon after staff reported a suspicious customer trying to make the large purchase.
Postal workers had been warned about Ellis after he allegedly used counterfeit cheques to obtain about $40,000 worth of stamps from three post offices in neighbouring Ashtabula County. The alert had been circulated by the postmaster in Geneva.
An investigation by Chardon Police allegedly uncovered a fraudulent Ohio identification card and another fake cheque. The US Postal Inspection Service also assisted with the inquiry.
Ellis was due to appear before Geauga County Court of Common Pleas after being held in the county jail. The allegations have not been tested in court and an indictment is not a finding of guilt.
