Bella Vista man sentenced to federal prison
FAYETTEVILLE — One of several people accused of stealing checks from mailboxes, altering and cashing them was sentenced to federal prison Tuesday. Adam O’Mara, 34, of Bella Vista, was sentenced to 10 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised probation, fined $1,400 and ordered to pay $487 restitution.
O’Mara, along with Amber Nicole Evans, age and residence not available; Michael McElroy, 21, of Fayetteville; Rachel Sharum, 27, of Springdale; Summer Thompson, 28, of Fayetteville; and Van Doren Weaver, III, 33, of Fayetteville, were all indicted by a federal grand jury in March in a mail theft and check washing scheme that Fayetteville police discovered last summer.
All six were indicted on charges of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and possession of stolen mail, according to the indictment. All pleaded guilty earlier this year and, aside from O’Mara, all are awaiting sentencing.
Members of the group would steal checks and other mail from mail boxes then “wash” the checks using acetone, according to the indictment. They then would alter the checks by writing the names or alias’ of a co-conspirator as the payee and changing the amounts.
Members of the group would then cash the checks at area banks, the indictment states.
The scheme went on from at least August 2015 through Nov. 3, 2015, according to the indictment.
At least eight checks are listed in the indictment. They range from a low of $432 to a high of $1,081, with most being more than $500.
Another woman, Amber Nicole Watkins, age and residence unavailable, was indicted separately and pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud. Watkins was sentenced in June to 19 months in prison, five years of supervised probation and order to pay $13,236 restitution.
The plot began to unravel when Fayetteville police made a traffic stop Aug. 24, 2015, and were told by an occupant of the vehicle that several people were washing checks in a room at the Econo Lodge off Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard.
A later traffic stop netted numerous stolen credit and debit cards and more information about the group.
Fayetteville police searched the motel room and found stolen mail, acetone, drug paraphernalia and other evidence.
Other members of the group were arrested in November after Watkins tried to cash an altered check.