5 charged in check-cashing scheme Eds: APNewsNow.

BUTTE, Mont. (AP) Five people accused of traveling from California to Montana in an effort to cash stolen tax refund checks face felony charges.

The five were arrested May 6 after stolen checks were cashed at two businesses in Butte.

Court records say some in the group may be responsible for cashing stolen checks at several businesses in Billings and one in Sheridan, Wyo., two weeks before they were arrested in Butte.

Mauricio F. Urquiza, 20, is charged with two counts of theft, Marisol Medina, 20, is charged with one count of theft and one count of theft by accountability. Salvador B. Reyes, 49; Lorenzo F.

Santos, 41, and Alberto S. Lagunas, 54, are each charged with two counts of theft by accountability. All five are jailed on $100,000 bail.

Court records allege Reyes hired Medina and Urquiza to go into banks and check-cashing businesses and cash the refund checks using fake identification cards created by Reyes.

The suspects are accusing of cashing a $1,232 check at National Quik Cash and two checks totaling more than $1,000 at U.S. Bank.

Information from: The Montana Standard, http://www.mtstandard.com (Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) APNP 06-06-09 1528CDT | save this article / add to your favorites list