Naples man deposited three fraudulent checks from a man over 80 years old, police say
The Naples Police Department arrested a man Tuesday for depositing checks and stealing from a man who was older than 80 years old, according to police.
Jean Carlos Velez, 36, of Naples, faces felony charges including three counts of forging documents and one count of theft between $10,000 and $50,000 from someone 65 or older.
An officer responded to a fraud complaint on Dec. 8. The victim told police that on Sept. 26 he left Naples to prepare for Hurricane Ian and returned on Oct. 7. He received a call from Bank of America in reference to suspicion of fraudulent activity on his account.
Three checks were authorized from his account on Oct. 31, Nov. 7 and Nov. 14. The bank records showed the checks were made out to Jean Velez or Spacefitness LLC and Jean Velez.
Police conducted a search of Velez and a SunBiz search of Spacefitness, which identified him as the registered agent with the same address, according to the arrest report.
During Hurricane Ian, the victim stayed at a Residence Inn in room 104 because his home was damaged in the storm. Velez stayed at the same Residence Inn in room 106 from Aug. 21, 2022, until Oct. 28, according to the report. He booked his room through a third-party service and worked as a general manager at TJ Maxx, 5018 Airport Pulling Road N in Naples.
Room 104 and 106 are next to each another, according to the general manager of the hotel.
Police then called Bank of America to determine the bank of deposit for the checks. The bank verified the checks were mobile deposited. Police then sent an approved subpoena to Bank of America on Jan. 13.
The subpoena results returned May 1 and showed the owner of the business checking account that received the fraudulently deposited checks was Spacefitness, 1201 NW 3rd Ave, Apt. 307 in Miami, and the same phone number and email consistent with Velez's information, the report states.
The bank also provided time stamped IP address records for the Spacefitness account. Police identified all IP addresses were accessed via a T-Mobile iPhone.
Police called the TJ Maxx where Velez worked and requested to speak to him on his personal cell phone. On May 3, police spoke with Velez and confirmed his identity and that he owned Spacefitness and was responsible for its accounting. They arranged to speak again the next day.
During that May 4 phone call, Velez said there was only one account affiliated with his business and that he wished to take the weekend to think about discussing the statements further, according to the report.
The victim was informed of the findings May 5 and confirmed his continued desire to press charges. He said while staying at the Residence Inn, he left his checkbook and bills on the desk in his hotel room.
The investigation revealed the victim was older than 80, had three checks removed from his checkbook and deposited into the Spacefitness' Bank of America business account, of which Velez confirmed he was the owner.
Police sent another subpoena to Bank of America May 15 and received results Aug. 1. They then sent a subpoena to T-Mobile Aug. 7, which returned records Aug. 17, according to the report.
Police went to the TJ Maxx Monday, but the district manager said Velez had been fired as of Aug. 1 for stealing funds from the company.
Tuesday, Velez arranged to turn himself in at the Naples Police Department. He refused questioning and was transported to the Naples Jail Center.
His next court date is Sept. 18
Emma Behrmann is a breaking news reporter for The Naples Daily News and News-Press. You may contact her at ebehrmann@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @emmabehrmann.
This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Naples man steals from 80-year-old, police say
