forged checks.Upon arrival at Tenaya Lodge, front desk managers informed responding Mariposa County Sheriff Deputies that a hotel guest had made a partial payment for his hotel stay of $2,500 with a check on February 23rd. The guest then returned the following day and attempted to make an additional payment on his room and spa charges with a second check in the amount of $3,000. Hotel staff became suspicious and contacted the bank to verify the check when they were informed that the check was in fact fraudulent.
Detectives located the suspect, Jeffery Talamantes, 33, of Modesto in his cottage room still at the hotel. Inside the room Detectives located items and evidence to support the fraud such as; printers, laptop computers, digital signature pads, printed cashier’s checks from multiple banks, falsified US Passport, lists of names and social security numbers, blank check paper, 143 checks from multiple accounts / businesses / private parties, $34,696 of pre-printed checks to multiple parties. The suspect was also in possession of a Smith & Wesson M&P replica airsoft pistol.
Deputies collected the evidence and arrested the check fraud suspect for multiple crimes.
Jeffery Talamantes was booked into the Mariposa County Adult Detention Facility on charges of: 470(A) PC- Felony - Forgery
530.5 (A) PC – Felony - Identity Thefts
475 (A) PC – Misdemeanor - Possessions of Counterfeit, Unfinished Checks
496 PC- Felony - Possession of Stolen Property
11377(A) HS- Misdemeanor - Possession of Methamphetamines (Outside Warrant from Stanislaus County)
530.5 PC- Felony- Identity Theft (Outside Warrant from Stanislaus County)
He is currently being held on $100,000 bail.
Source: Mariposa County Sheriff Department
