Hamden Woman, 2 Others Charged In Check Fraud Scheme: Feds

HAMDEN, CT — A Hamden woman is among three Connecticut residents accused of participating in a check fraud scheme, according to officials.

A federal grand jury in Bridgeport returned an indictment Wednesday, charging Michelle Freeman, also known as “Thunder,” 37 of Waterbury, Leshanda Long, 43, of Hamden, and Omar Eaddy, 40, of Bridgeport, with participating in a stolen check and bank fraud scheme, U.S. Attorney for Connecticut David X. Sullivan and Ketty Larco-Ward, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Boston Division, announced in a news release.

Freeman, Long, and Eaddy are accused of engaging in a scheme that involved the theft of checks from mailboxes and the manipulation of the stolen checks to make them payable to individuals who served as “check runners,” according to court documents.

“The check runners would then cash the fraudulent checks and provide the cash to the conspirators,” officials wrote in the news released. “Freeman led the conspiracy and was responsible for counterfeiting the fraudulent checks, which were primarily drawn from small business accounts in Connecticut. Long and Eaddy recruited the check runners to cash the checks at banks and check cashing locations.”

The indictment charges Freeman, Long, and Eaddy with conspiracy to commit bank fraud, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 30 years, according to officials.

Freeman, Long, and Eaddy were arrested on criminal complaints on May 6. They were each released on a $100,000 bond and are scheduled to be arraigned on Aug. 26.