Rosemount Woman Charged with Forging Niece's Name on Student Loan Checks

A Rosemount woman has been charged with intercepting her niece’s student loan checks, forging her signature and depositing them into a bank account, then withdrawing cash from that account at casinos.

Lisa Marie Paz, 42, is charged with three felony counts of offering a forged check, each of which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine.

According to the criminal complaint, the victim came to the Rosemount police station in January and reported that Paz, with whom she lives, intercepted three student loan checks made payable to the victim.

The victim said she called the issuing agencies to ask when the checks would arrive. She was told that the checks had been deposited into a bank account.

The victim said Paz signed her niece’s name on the back of the three checks and deposited them into a joint bank account. The checks totaled $7,697, according to the complaint.

Paz signed and deposited the first check on July 11, 2011, the second on Oct. 5, 2011, and the third on Jan. 26, 2012, all at an Apple Valley bank branch, according to bank records.

Between June 2011 and January 2012, Paz withdrew $12,613 from the joint bank account, all in withdrawals from Mystic Lake or Treasure Island casinos, the complaint says.

Paz told authorities that she believed she was entitled to withdraw the money because she had deposited about $6,000, and that her niece owed her $1,000 in expenses, according to the complaint.

Paz is scheduled to make a first appearance on the charges Nov. 5 in Dakota County District Court in Hastings.