Stephonn Jahdarhi Bowleg {BSO}
By Ryan Yousefi
A Tamarac man was arrested and charged with grand theft, fraud, and defrauding a financial institution after a bank employee discovered his history of writing fraudulent checks and filing illegal wire transfers.
On April 20, the Broward County Sheriff’s Office responded to a fraud in progress at a Regions Bank branch located at 7118 North University Drive.
According to the arrest report, the bank’s branch manager told deputies that a young man, later identified as Stephonn Jahdarhi Bowleg, 18, of Tamarac, was sitting in the lobby. She said Bowleg visited on April 5, cashing several fraudulent checks, and returned to obtain a new debit card.
The bank manager told deputies that Bowleg had completed 14 Seminole casino withdrawal transactions between April 5-6 and had four checks deposited into his account for $11,500, according to the report.
The bank manager first became aware of Bowleg’s scheme when she reviewed his account while attempting to replace his lost debit card. According to the report, she noticed suspicious activity involving the Seminole Casino, where she had seen similar schemes occur often.
Records show the funds were withdrawn from the account through multiple Seminole casino cash advances and Zelle debit transactions.
According to the report, the four fraudulent checks Bowleg wrote all cleared from an account held by a medical practice that banks with Regions Bank.
The bank manager told deputies the signatures on the checks also did not match the authorized account holder’s signature, and the format of previous checks written by the account holder was different.
The report says Bowleg confirmed the transactions were made by him and claimed he had no other source of income other than the money he gets from his mother.
Bowleg was arrested and transported to the Broward County Main Jail. He was later released after posting a $13,500 bond.
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