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February 9, 2012

Woman charged in bogus check case

By Dylan Goforth Phoenix Staff Writer

— A Muskogee woman was charged Thursday in connection with last week’s bogus check sting.

Taisha O’Brien, who uses the alias Sherrie Harris, was charged with 16 counts of possession of forged instruments, one count of second-degree burglary and one count of possession of contraband by inmate.

O’Brien is being held at the Muskogee County/City Detention Facility on $500,000 bond.

O’Brien was arrested Feb. 3 after a Muskogee Police and  Secret Service investigation led them to her. Authorities conducting surveillance of O’Brien that morning arrested her in the afternoon after they reportedly witnessed her committing a burglary at Foxcroft Villa Apartments.

When investigators searched her house at 920 S. B St., they found cases of check paper, a computer and a check printer. Police say O’Brien was getting account numbers for different businesses in Muskogee, Tulsa and Oklahoma City and printing herself payroll checks.

In total, O’Brien is charged with being in possession of 16 forged checks totaling $7,704.18 at the time of her arrest. All 16 checks were purported to be from the Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office Inmate Trust Account, according to court records.

The largest amount on any of the checks was for two checks written for $551.28 each.

Police Lt. Bobby Lee said Tuesday investigators discovered $20,095 worth of fraudulent checks at O’Brien’s home. Lee said investigators also found evidence of several thousand dollars worth of checks that had already been cashed.

Possession of forged instruments is punishable by imprisonment for up to seven years. Second-degree burglary is punishable by imprisonment for two to seven years in jail.

Court records also state O’Brien was charged with “possessing $1,684 in U.S. currency” while in the Muskogee jail, a crime punishable by no less than 20 years.

A sounding docket in O’Brien’s case was set for 10 a.m. Feb. 23, where the date for her preliminary hearing will be announced. At that time, testimony will be given.

Reach Dylan Goforth at (918) 684-2903 or dgoforth@muskogeephoenix.com.

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