2 Arrested in Phony Check Scheme

Two South County women were arrested after investigators with search warrants found check-making equipment and fake checks in their homes, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department said Wednesday.

Jessica Lauren Jacobs, 25, was arrested about 1 p.m. Tuesday at her house in Mission Viejo and her friend, Tonya Annette Tilton, 38, was arrested several hours later at her home in Laguna Hills, sheriff’s investigator William Riddle said.

The arrests resulted from a 4 1/2-month investigation that uncovered nearly 100 bad checks, worth about $10,000, used at stores.

Allegedly, Jacobs and Tilton composed the phony checks at home and printed them at copy stores on self-serve photocopiers, investigators said. They also stole checks from family members, signed them over to themselves, and cashed them, Riddle said.

In addition, Jacobs allegedly opened accounts at Landmark Bank and the Bank of Newport, both in Costa Mesa, under fictitious names, then drew more funds from the accounts than she had on deposit, he said.

Both are being held at County Jail and are scheduled to be arraigned today in Municipal Court in Laguna Niguel. Jacobs’ bail was set at $50,000 and Tilton’s at $20,000, Riddle said.