Two people have been arrested in Maine in connection with a counterfeit check writing scheme.
Several retail stores in New England have been defrauded of upwards of $100,000.
The fraudulent personal checks were being printed from a computer program and then cashed at a number of large retailers for gift cards and merchandise, which was later returned to the stores in exchange for cash.
Kissie Whatley, 36, and Randell Bankston, 46, both from Atlanta, Georgia, were taken into custody on Monday.
Authorities searched Whatley's Biddeford apartment and found the check writing operation taking place. It is not clear why Whatley used Biddeford as her base of operation, which started in July, when she rented the apartment with a fake ID.
Whatley is charged with aggravated forgery, forgery and theft by unauthorized taking. Bankston is charged with organized retail theft and misuse of an identification card.
Troopers also plan to charge a third person once they have been located.
