Mugshot of Daliqua Moses. Photo Credit: THE VIRGIN ISLANDS POLICE DEPARTMENT
ST. THOMAS — A St. Thomas woman is before the court on charges of forgery after she attempted to cash a stolen check.
Twenty-four-year-old Daliqua Moses was recently arrested and charged with forgery, grand larceny and obtaining money by false pretense. According to the probable cause fact sheet accompanying her arrest, police were assigned to investigate the matter on August 16th.
The victim, who is the manager of a rental company reported that he had received a phone call from Moses on August 15th, stating that she was traveling from St. Thomas and was interested in renting a vehicle. According to the victim, when Moses arrived he had already stepped out for lunch, leaving his checkbook on his desk. Later that afternoon his bank informed him of suspicious activity on his account.
He subsequently consulted his mobile banking app and noticed that two checks were pending. When the victim looked at his checkbook he observed that three blank checks had been removed. He then traveled to the bank to file a complaint and was informed that Daliqua Moses was identified as the individual who endorsed and cashed two checks both written for $1000.
The victim then returned to his office where he reviewed surveillance footage which was later shown to the police. According to the probable cause fact sheet, the footage showed Moses going through the man’s workstation before picking up something from his desk, placing it in her handbag and leaving. She later returned the item to his desk and disguised it between papers. The man affirmed to police that he had not given Moses permission to remove his checkbook from his workstation and did not authorize her to endorse and cash checks from his account.
On August 18th police were dispatched to the bank in question regarding a report of a customer attempting to cash a fraudulent check. Law enforcement was advised that Moses was in possession of a stolen check endorsed and forged in the amount of $3000. She was subsequently taken into custody and charged.
Moses appeared for a hearing on Monday and Assistant V.I. Attorney General Brenda Scales noted that she has shown a pattern of escalating criminal activity. The judge expressed that the defendant appears to be a danger to society, noting that she now has three pending cases within just over a year. At the time of her arrest, Moses was on pretrial release on another criminal matter.
Bail in this matter was set at $20,000 and Moses must post the full amount in order to be released. She must also provide the court with a suitable third-party custodian who will have to be vetted and approved. If she is able to secure release, Moses will be placed on a 6 pm to 6 am daily curfew. As part of her bail conditions, she is not permitted to enter the bank where she attempted to conduct the transaction, and must also remain at least 1000 feet away from the alleged victim at all times. She is prohibited from having any contact with him while this matter is pending.
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