Man Arrested in Lakeville Check Forgery Cases

A Rosemount man has been arrested on charges of forging checks on the accounts of a Lakeville couple, and cashing a Social Security check without the victim’s permission.

A nationwide warrant was issued late last month for Steven Jaye Stensgard, 53, who is charged with two felony counts of check forgery, each of which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

Stensgard was arrested Wednesday morning by authorities in Ramsey County. He remains in the Dakota County Jail in Hastings and is scheduled to make a first appearance on the charges Friday.

According to the criminal complaints, Stensgard forged a signature on a check made payable to one of the victims last November and cashed it at a Lakeville credit union.

A subsequent investigation showed that Stensgard also forged a signature on a $951 Social Security check made out to the same victim, and cashed it late last year, according to one of the complaints.

Stensgard also is accused of forging checks for $200 and $300 on the account of the other victim last March and successfully cashing them.

The complaint says a Lakeville police officer spoke to Stensgard, who admitted forging the victim’s name on the check in November and cashing it. Stensgard told police that he was planning to pay back the money, according to the complaint.

Stensgard’s criminal history in Minnesota includes three convictions for theft and two for offering forged checks in 2007.