Woman Arrested After Allegedly Depositing Checks Belonging to Her Best Friend Into Minor Son's Account

  • Amanie Mathurin
  • May 26, 2022
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Juliandrea Toomer. By. THE VIRGIN ISLANDS POLICE DEPARTMENT

ST. CROIX — A woman has been charged for depositing two checks written out to another individual. 

Juliandrea Toomer, age 34, is charged with obtaining money by false pretenses, grand larceny, and accessing a computer for fraudulent purposes. The charges are the result of an investigation initiated on February 25th, 2021. That investigation was launched into incidents that occurred between December 2020 and January 2021 according to documents before the court. 

The documents allege that Toomer deposited two paychecks totaling $905.27 which actually belonged to her friend and colleague. The apparent fraudulent activity was reported to police by the owner of a local hotel who stated that it was discovered when his accountant was reviewing the checkbooks. The accountant reportedly noticed that a check dated December 11, 2020 was cashed twice. The check valued at $428.18 had initially been endorsed by the person to whom it was written and cashed at a bank in Christiansted. The same check was then endorsed at the back and made payable to an individual later identified as a minor. 

When the owner brought the incident to the attention of the individual to whom the check was written, she confirmed that it was her signature on one of the checks. She further stated that the name written on the other check was the minor child of her best friend who she identified as Julianna Toomer. A second discrepancy was later noticed, this time for a check valued at $477.09 which was dated December 31st, 2020. According to the probable cause fact sheet, investigations revealed that the check was initially deposited on January 5th, 2021 and then the woman to whom it was actually written deposited it again on January 7th. 

When police spoke to the woman on March 4th, 2021 she noted that she had observed over $400 missing from her account sometime in February of 2021. She reportedly called the bank and was informed that her account was debited due to a duplicated check. When police showed the woman the two checks written out to her from the hotel, she confirmed that she had mobile deposited them to her local bank account. However, investigations would reveal that they were the same checks that had also been deposited into a minor’s off-island bank account. The woman explained to police that she does not come to work with a purse and usually asks Toomer to hold her checks in her work bag until the end of day. 

The probable cause fact sheet states that on February 14th, 2022 the overseas bank responded to a subpoena served in reference to the fraudulent activity. While reviewing the bank statement on February 21st, it was revealed that the two checks had been mobile deposited into the minor’s account. Police made contact with Toomer on March 4th, 2022 and she agreed to visit them to give a statement a few days later. She presented herself to police on the morning of March 09th and admitted to taking the woman’s checks and mobile depositing them onto her son’s account. She further stated that she conducted the transactions while at work. 

Following her arrest by warrant, Toomer appeared for an advisement hearing on Wednesday, May 25th, 2022. The judge indicated that bail had been set at $20,000 and that the defendant had already posted 10 percent. The judge concluded that she would permit this as a sufficient posting of surety. While Juliandrea Toomer awaits her day in court, she has been ordered to surrender all her travel documents and is prohibited from leaving the island without permission from the court.

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