Georgia Men Accused of Recruiting Homeless People for Forged Check Scheme Face Forgery Charges After Missouri Bank Sting in Branson

BRANSON, MO — Two Georgia men are facing felony forgery charges after police in southwest Missouri say they uncovered a scheme that used homeless people to try to cash suspected forged checks at local banks.

Investigators say the men waited outside banks in a silver SUV while a recruited witness went inside with checks made out in his name. Police say the witness was directed by phone during the trips and told to change clothes between stops before detectives moved in outside a bank in Branson.

Jahquan Xzandre Crawford, 34, of Lithonia, and Rossie Andre Jefferies, 29, of Avondale Estates, were arrested Oct. 27 after officers monitored attempted check transactions in the area. Prosecutors filed a Class D felony forgery count against each man the next day.

Detectives say the group traveled from the Atlanta area to target banks in southwest Missouri

According to a probable-cause statement written by Detective Zachary L. Hamilton, investigators were looking into a group believed to have traveled from the Atlanta area to southwest Missouri and northwest Arkansas to recruit homeless people for fraudulent banking transactions.

One man told police he had been recruited, transported to banks and instructed to present checks made out in his name. He also said he was told to stay on a cellphone call with the people directing him while the transactions were underway.

Hamilton wrote that the organizers allegedly kept the money from any successful cashing attempt and paid the recruit only a small amount. The man told detectives he feared what would happen if he refused to take part in the trips.

License-plate cameras helped officers track the silver Buick from Georgia into Missouri

Police say Flock license-plate cameras helped them trace a silver Buick SUV from Georgia into southwest Missouri. Officers located the vehicle in Branson before watching it stop at a fast-food restaurant to pick up the witness who had agreed to cooperate.

Before the first bank visit, officers searched the man and said he was not carrying forged checks. He then attempted to negotiate a check allegedly supplied by the suspects at Seymour Bank in Rogersville, according to Hamilton’s account.

The group later traveled to Marshfield and circled another Seymour Bank location without making a transaction. Detectives say the pattern suggested the men were moving the witness between banks while trying to avoid attention.

Police say the witness was told to buy new clothes before the next stop

Before the next bank visit, the witness told detectives he was instructed to stop at a thrift store and change his appearance. Officers say that clothing change happened before the Buick returned to Branson for another attempt.

The witness went into Regions Bank on Commercial Street with another suspected forged check while police watched the SUV circle the building. Investigators say the vehicle’s movements around the bank matched the kind of coordination they had been tracking throughout the day.

Detectives then approached the Buick outside the bank. Police say Jefferies was driving and Crawford was seated in the rear when officers made contact.

Officers say forged checks and discarded clothing were found in the SUV

Police say Jefferies was on a cellphone believed to be connected to the man inside the bank. The witness later told investigators that the check had been declined.

During an inventory search of the vehicle, officers reported finding multiple suspected forged checks payable to the cooperating man. Crawford’s probable-cause statement says the checks were in a seat compartment directly in front of where he had been sitting.

Investigators also say they recovered the clothes the witness had changed out of earlier in the day. After being read his Miranda rights, Jefferies told detectives he had been responsible for renting the SUV and driving for the illegal activity, according to the statement.

Both men pleaded not guilty as bond hearings were set for November 9

Prosecutors filed Jefferies’ case in Taney County case 2646-CR02348 and Crawford’s in case 2646-CR02349. Each felony complaint alleges that, on or about Oct. 27, the defendant completed a check with the purpose of defrauding someone by making it appear authorized by a person who had not given permission.

Under Missouri law, a Class D felony forgery charge carries a possible sentence of up to seven years in prison. Detective Hamilton’s statements also raised concerns about possible exploitation and forced labor, but neither complaint includes a trafficking charge.

At their Oct. 30 initial appearances, both men pleaded not guilty and were referred to public defenders. Judge Renee Tiffany Yarnell denied requests to change their no-bond conditions and set bond hearings for Nov. 9 at 10 a.m.