Bronx man accused of trying to cash forged check in East Rockaway
A Bronx man was arrested on charges of second-degree possession of a forged instrument after he attempted to cash a fraudulent check at a bank Thursday afternoon in East Rockaway, police said.
Vicente Lazo, 25, of Webster Ave., was arrested by Nassau County police as he waited for the check to be cashed at the Bank of America branch on Main Street at 3:30 p.m. He faces arraignment Friday in First District Court in Hempstead.
Police said Lazo entered the bank and presented the check, in the name of a real estate trust company for the amount of $4,600, to a teller -- requesting the check be cashed.
But, the bank determined the information on the check was fraudulent and contacted police, who responded and arrested Lazo as he waited for the check to be cashed, police said.
John Valenti, a reporter at Newsday since 1981, has been honored nationally by the Associated Press and Society of the Silurians for investigative, enterprise and breaking news reporting, as well as column writing, and is the author of “Swee'pea,” a book about former New York playground basketball star Lloyd Daniels. Valenti is featured in the Emmy Award-winning ESPN 30-for-30 film “Big Shot.”
