Edina Woman Caught Using Stolen Check to Buy Xbox 360

An Edina woman has been charged with trying to use a stolen check to buy a gaming system from a store in West St. Paul.

Briana Nichole Jefferson, 20, is charged with offering a forged check, a felony with a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

According to the criminal complaint, West St. Paul police were called to an unnamed store in Signal Hills Mall on April 4 to investigate a reported check forgery.

A loss prevention employee told police that two women entered the store and tried to buy an Xbox 360 gaming system. One of the women, later identified as Jefferson, presented a check for $321.26.

When the cashier asked to see photo identification, Jefferson handed over an ID. The cashier observed that the name on the ID didn’t match the name on the check and began to question Jefferson about the discrepancy.

Jefferson became upset, grabbed the ID and fled the store, leaving the checkbook behind, according to the complaint.

Police contacted the checkbook’s owner, who told them that it had been stolen. Investigators checked it for fingerprints, and when they compared the prints with the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension’s database, they matched Jefferson’s.

Investigators also compared the store’s surveillance video to a photo of Jefferson and determined that it was the same person.

Jefferson’s criminal history includes four convictions for theft: once in 2009 and three times earlier this year. She was also convicted of receiving stolen property in 2010 and possession of burglary or theft tools in September.

Jefferson is scheduled to make a first appearance on the charge Nov. 19 in Dakota County District Court in Hastings.

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