PORTLAND, Ore. – A federal grand jury indicted three Oregon men for allegedly running a check fraud scheme using a fake business to steal and cash altered checks.
Cody James VanWinkle, 30, of Gresham, Kei-Jian Buckley, 32, of Beaverton, and Bruce Edward Jones Jr., 30, of Eugene, face charges of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, bank fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. VanWinkle and Buckley appeared in court for arraignment Monday, while Jones was arraigned Sept. 24.
According to court documents, the three men stole checks and changed the payee line and dollar amounts so they could deposit the money themselves instead of the intended recipient. VanWinkle and Buckley created an LLC called Pacific Swift Logistics to help carry out the fraud, but the business was a sham…