Arrest Made for Check Washing

August 3, 2023

• Needham Police arrest Los Angeles man in connection with stolen check.

On Tuesday, July 18th, at around 4:30 PM a Needham police officer took a report from an Elmwood Road resident that a check he had written was altered by washing the writing away and putting a different money amount on the check, which was then cashed. The Needham resident said the intended recipient of the check never received it. As a result of an investigation, the next day, Gabriel Jaramillo, a 33-year-old man from Los Angeles, California was arrested at a UPS facility in Norwood shortly after 10am. He was awaiting delivery of the items he had fraudulently purchased. The suspect was charged with identity fraud, attempted larceny by check and RMV signature and possession and use of stolen property. A case was filed later that day at Dedham District Court.

The case is just one of seven check fraud cases reported since the Needham Police put out a Crime Alert on mailbox phishing on July 6th. They also had been alerted to mailbox alarms, the most recent reported at the Great Plain Avenue post office on July 28th. They caution that if you suspect that your check may have been diverted or delayed, that you contact your financial institution in addition to the police, and place a stop payment on the check and close your account.

Further statistics on the activities of the Needham Police may be found on the Police Department Facebook page. Additionally, they report once a year to the Needham Select Board. Their most recent appearance was on February 28, 2023.

additional reporting by Marc Mandel posted on August 7

This story ran as part of the Needham Channel News, a weekly newscast airing on The Needham Channel every Thursday at 7:30pm. The Needham Channel News can be found on the Community Channel: Comcast 9, Astound 15 and Verizon 29. Most Thursdays it also can be viewed on our HD Channel on Verizon 2129, Astound 613 and streaming on this site.