Five people have been charged with stealing nearly $23,000 from a local company that operates charter schools by forging checks and cashing them, according to authorities.
The charges are the result of an investigation launched by Pittsburgh police Nov. 18 when officers met with the controller of Propel Schools, which operates 10 charter schools in the area, according to a criminal complaint filed in support of the charges.
Investigators learned that 28 checks that were drawn against the school’s Dollar Bank account were, in fact, counterfeit, according to the complaint.
The fraudulently cashed checks totaled $22,744.
The fake checks were cashed by forging the signature of the school’s co-founder, Jeremy Resnick.
Charged with theft by deception, receiving stolen property, forgery and access device fraud were: Sasha Rucker, 25, of Wilmerding; Nia Haley, 19, of Pittsburgh; Marquis Fussell, 31, of Wilmerding; Alaysha Johnson, 19, of Pittsburgh; and Terry Perry, 27, Verona.
The criminal complaint lists six other people who allegedly cashed forged checks, but charges have not yet been been filed against them.
