Man Charged in Forgery of Tax Refund Check
A Culver City man accused of trying to steal more than $644,000 from the state by adding a few extra digits to his tax refund check was charged Thursday with forgery and attempted grand theft.
State officials, who said the case is one of the largest of its kind in state history, say Mathison B. Coleman, 56, allegedly increased the amount of his $33.62 state refund check to $644,933.62 before submitting it to his bank in Manhattan Beach.
“Now wasn’t that chutzpah? Can you believe it? This is classic. I’ve never seen a case like this,” said Deputy Dist. Atty. Gilbert Garcetti, who heads the district attorney’s Torrance branch.
Coleman, who was scheduled to turn himself in to Manhattan Beach police this morning, faces up to three years in state prison if convicted. His attorney, Robert Corbin, declined to comment.
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