| Probable cause affidavit: |
SUBMITTED BY: FASS, CRAIG 0361 (AR14-9303) DID UTTER AND PUBLISH A FORGED INSTRUMENT WITH THE INTENT TO INJURE/DEFRAUD, IN VIOLATION OF FLORIDA STATE STATUTE, 831.02. ON 111213, DEPUTY BRUNK OF THE CITRUS COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE, MADE CONTACT WITH THE VICTIM MS MARITZA MERINO, MERINO, AT HER RESIDENCE. THE VICTIM ADVISED DEPUTY BRUNK THAT SHE WAS EXPECTING A UNITED STATES POSTAL MONEY ORDER FROM HER FATHER, MR HJIME JESUA. WHEN THE VICTIM DID NOT RECEIVE THE MONEY ORDER, SHE CONTACTED HER FATHER AND ADVISED HIM SHE HAD NOT RECEIVED IT. THE VICTIM WAS THEN ADVISED BY HER FATHER THAT HE WOULD CONTACT THE UNITED STATED POSTAL SERVICE AND PLACE A TRACK ON THE MONEY ORDER. THE VICTIMâS FATHER FORWARDED HER A LETTER ON 103113 AND A COPY OF THE POSTAL MONEY ORDER. THE VICTIM PROVIDED THAT INFORMATION TO DEPUTY BRUNK. THE MONEY ORDER BORE SERIAL NUMBER: 21201900682 AND WAS IN THE AMOUNT OF $100.00. THE âPAY TOâ PORTION OF THE MONEY ORDER APPEARED TO BE MADE OUT TO THE VICTIM, MS MARITZA MERINO, HOWEVER, SOMEONE SCRIBBLED THROUGH THE PAY TO NAME, AND THE NAME OF FRANCINE MCGAHEN WAS SEEN WRITTEN ABOVE THE PAY TO SECTION. ON THE BACK PORTION OF THE MONEY ORDER, IT WAS SIGNED BY FRANCINE MCGAHEN, AND SHOWED A DRIVERâS LICENSE NUMBER OF, M25025697260, ALONG WITH A CELLULAR TELEPHONE NUMBER OF: (352) 476-0909. THE VICTIM ADVISED DEPUTY BRUNK THAT MS MCGAHEN IS HER BROTHERâS GIRLFRIEND, AND THAT SHE AND HER BROTHER BOTH LIVED WITH HER FOR APPROXIMATELY THREE MONTHS BEFORE MOVING OUT IN JULY OF 2013. SHE STATED THAT MS MCGAHEN DID NOT HAVE HER PERMISSION TO TAKE HER MONEY ORDER AND TO CASH IT AT THE A TO Z DISCOUNT LIQUOR STORE IN HOMOSASSA. I WENT TO THE A TO Z DISCOUNT LIQUOR STORE AND WAS NOT ABLE TO OBTAIN VIDEO SURVEILLANCE FOOTAGE. ON 030114, I CONTACTED THE VICTIM, MS MARITZA MARINO, WHO ADVISED THAT SHE STILL WISHED TO PURSUE CHARGES IN THIS CASE. ON 030114, I ATTEMPTED TO MAKE CONTACT WITH MS MCGAHEN AT HER RESIDENCE WHICH MET WITH NEGATIVE RESULTS. I LEFT A BUSINESS CARD BEFORE LEAVING THE RESIDENCE WITH MY CONTACT INFORMATION. LATER IN THE MORNING, AS I WAS DRIVING BY THE RESIDENCE, I OBSERVED A FEMALE IN THE DRIVEWAY OF THE RESIDENCE. I THEN MADE CONTACT WITH THE FEMALE, WHO IDENTIFIED HERSELF AS MS FRANCINE MCGAHEN. AT THAT TIME I CONDUCTED A DIGITALLY TAPED SWORN INTERVIEW WITH HER. SHE ADVISED THAT SHE WAS RESIDING WITH THE VICTIM, WHO WAS THE SISTER OF HER BOYFRIEND AT THE TIME, MR PATRICK FAILLA. SHE ADVISED THAT BOTH SHE AND PATRICK HAD A SEVERE ADDICTION TO PRESCRIPTION PILLS DURING THAT TIME PERIOD. SHE ADMITTED TO CASHING THE MONEY ORDER AT THE A TO Z DISCOUNT LIQUOR STORE, BUT DENIED SCRIBBLING OUT THE NAME IN THE PAY TO SECTION OF THE MONEY ORDER. SHE ADMITTED TO PLACING HER NAME AND ADDRESS ON THE FRONT OF THE POSTAL MONEY ORDER, AND TO SIGNING THE BACK OF THE MONEY ORDER. SHE STATED THE MONEY WAS GIVEN TO HER BY HER BOYFRIEND PATRICK, AND HE ADVISED HER THAT IT BELONGED TO HIM BUT HE HAD NO IDENTIFICATION AND COULD NOT CASH IT. I THEN CONDUCTED A POST MIRANDA INTERVIEW WITH MS MCGAHEN ON THE SAME RECORDING, AT WHICH TIME SHE PROVIDED SIMILAR INFORMATION AS SHE DID PRIOR TO BEING READ HER MIRANDA RIGHTS. SHE ALSO ADVISED THAT SHE HAD GOTTEN IN TO TROUBLE DURING THAT TIME PERIOD FOR OTHER PROPERTY THAT WAS GIVEN TO HER BOYFRIEND, PATRICK, SOME OF WHICH BELONGED TO THE VICTIM IN THIS CASE. SHE STATED THAT SHE SUFFERED AN OVERDOSE IN AUGUST OF 2013, BUT SHE HAS BEEN DRUG FREE SINCE. THE DEFENDANT WAS THEN ARRESTED AND HANDCUFFED (DOUBLE LOCKED) FOR TRANSPORT TO CITRUS COUNTY DETENTION FACILITY. UPON ARRIVAL THE DEFENDANT WAS CHARGED WITH ONE COUNT OF UTTERING A FORGED DOCUMENT, DUE TO HER ALTERING THE MONEY ORDER, PLACING HER INFOPMAITON ON THE MONEY ORDER, CASHING THE MONEY ORDER AND RECEIVING THE BENEFITS OF THE MONEY ORDER, THEREBY DEFRAUDING THE VICTIM. THE DEFENDANTâS BOND WAS SET AT $1,000.00 PER THE BOND SCHEDULE. THE DIGITAL AUDIO STATEMENT WILL BE PLACED ONTO THE CITRUS COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE SERVER. |
