LAKE CHARLES, La. (KPLC) – Two residents of Decatur, Georgia, have been accused of exploiting the homeless to help them cash checks that had been stolen from across Calcasieu Parish, according to the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office.
Spokeswoman Kayla Vincent says that in December of 2024, detectives with their Financial Crimes Division began investigating a series of complaints about checks being stolen out of residential mailboxes.
During their investigation, detectives say they learned the suspects were preying on residents who left checks in their mailboxes for pickup in order to pay bills. Those checks were then stolen and then altered so they could be cashed. Furthermore, detectives say the suspects were exploiting homeless individuals in the area by using them to go into different Lake Charles and Sulphur banks to cash the checks…