Traffic stop leads to check fraud suspects

A routine traffic stop led to the discovery of a suspected check fraud scheme with at least 23 victims from 10 Bay Area cities.|

A routine traffic stop led to the discovery of a suspected check fraud scheme with at least 23 victims from 10 Bay Area cities.

A Sonoma police officer was on patrol on Highway 12 near Agua Caliente Road at around 2:20 a.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 25, when he pulled a car over for loud exhaust and excess fumes.

Sgt. Orlando Rodriguez, with the Sonoma Police Department, said the driver, Michael A. Allen, 28, of Vacaville, told the officer that he just had a paper copy of his license and that he had been in trouble for check fraud in the past.

During a background check, the officer found out that Allen had an outstanding felony warrant from Placer County and he was on searchable felony probation out of Solano County.

The officer asked Allen if he had anything illegal in the car and Allen told him he didn’t care if the officer wanted to search the car.

Allen told the officer that his passenger, Jennifer Esquivel, 27, of Vacaville, was his girlfriend and they were currently homeless.

During a search, the officer found a box inside a tote bag. The box contained more than 100 checks and a printer. He also found two laptops and more checks, mail and credit card applications. The names on the checks had been washed and/or erased.

The officer also found a notebook in a shopping bag where Esquivel had recorded personal information such as names, addresses and account information. There were 21 different names in the notebook with bank account numbers, passwords, Social Security numbers, dates of birth, past employers, bank routing numbers with a note to check driver’s license photos online.

After finding more checks that had been washed, loan applications and credit cards, the pair was arrested on a litany of charges.

Both Allen and Esquivel were charged with felony possessing a blank check with intent to defraud; felony make or pass a fictitious check; felony unauthorized possession of personal information; felony conspiracy to commit a crime and misdemeanor charges of receiving known stolen property and mail theft.

The pair was booked into county jail.

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