Ex-USC Athlete Accused in Check Scheme

A former USC football player has been arrested on suspicion of counterfeiting, forgery and burglary after his alleged accomplices told investigators he gave them fake checks to cash, police said.

Sultan Abdul-Malik, 23, is set to be arraigned Nov. 13. West Covina police detectives said Wednesday the investigation is still developing and could include others.

Detectives on Tuesday served a search warrant on his family home in Duarte, and among the items confiscated was a computer.

Abdul-Malik was arrested Friday by West Covina police after he turned up to meet an accomplice cooperating with detectives, Cpl. Rudy Lopez said.

Abdul-Malik, a Trojan defensive end for the last three years, was released on his own recognizance Monday. He could not be reached for comment.

2 Arrested Women Implicated Him

Two women arrested on the same charges implicated him in a scheme using phony checks drawn on the bank accounts of unsuspecting victims.

Huong Le, 19, of West Covina was arrested Sept. 13 at the Washington Mutual Bank branch in West Covina.

Le allegedly deposited a counterfeit check for $4,200 on Sept. 5 into a Washington Mutual automatic teller machine and withdrew the money from her account Sept. 7.

Lopez said the bank accepted the check because it was drawn on a real account number but then froze Le’s account when it discovered the check was a counterfeit. Le was arrested when she went to inquire about her frozen account.

A week later, Cynthia Benaez, 29, of West Covina was arrested at the same bank after a teller recognized a $4,400 check Benaez tried to deposit as counterfeit, Lopez said. He said the checks were made from real checks of the accounts of two unsuspecting individuals.

The first one was discovered, he said, because it was out of sequence from an account holder’s checkbook.

“Neither woman knew each other,” Lopez said.

But they both told investigators they got the checks from a man called “Devon” who told them he could not deposit them because he was from out of state, Lopez said. “They both met him separately at the West Covina mall.”

Suspect’s Father Also Played for USC

Despite their protestations, detectives believe the women knew the checks were fake, Lopez said.

Detectives set up a meeting between one of the women and the man they called Devon. Once arrested, Devon revealed that he was Abdul-Malik, Lopez said.

Lopez said the case has yet to be forwarded to the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office because the investigation is still ongoing.

Abdul-Malik, a standout at Arcadia High School, is the son of Ed Powell, now known as Wali Abdul-Malik. The father is a former USC linebacker and member of two national championship teams.