POLK COUNTY, Fla. — A Polk County firefighter was arrested after trying to cash a check he already electronically deposited into his bank account, a news release from the Polk County Sheriff's Office reports.
Desmond Walker II, 34, was arrested Tuesday on fraud charges.
The investigation began on Dec. 7 when the Polk County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller Division contacted detectives to report a possible payroll fraud incident.
During the investigation, detectives say they learned Walker accessed his online employee payroll information to make changes to his direct deposit banking institution in October.
After the changes were made to his direct deposit information, Walker received his next paycheck of $2,772 on Nov. 29 as a physical check, the sheriff's office explains. The paycheck was deposited the same day as an online mobile deposit.
So where do things go wrong? Detectives say Walker went to cash the physical check the next day.
The firefighter reportedly took the check, which had already been deposited electronically, and cashed it at Amscot Financial Services.
Amscot tried to deposit the paycheck twice but was unsuccessful because it had already been negotiated as a deposit into Walker's bank account, deputies explain. The company sent a letter to the Board of County Commissioners' office claiming there was a monetary loss.
Detectives were reportedly able to connect Walker to the crime by confirming the thumbprint of the person who cashed the check.
The sheriff's office says the firefighter admitted to spending the money for bills and vacation expenses, as well as purposely not returning calls to Amscot.
Walker was arrested for scheming to defraud a financial institution, grand theft, fraud and cashing a worthless check with intent to defraud. He is being held at the Polk County Jail on an $8,000 bond.
“Those who work in public service are held to a higher ethical standard. Walker will be held accountable for his actions," Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said in a statement.
