Man Accused of Trying to Cash Counterfeit Check at Minnetonka Bank

Police say a Brooklyn Center man tried to cash a fraudulent check for $3,828.50 at Wells Fargo on County Road 101 in Minnetonka.

Clark Monroe Gilbert, 21, has been charged with one felony count of possession or sale of counterfeit checks.

According to the criminal complaint, Gilbert tried to deposit the check on May 14 from ProjectPayday.com in his recently opened Wells Fargo account. The check was in his name.

Wells Fargo flagged his account, and it was discovered that the check was counterfeit. Police found that two other counterfeit checks were drawn on the same account at other Wells Fargo branches on the same day and the day prior.

Gilbert allegedly told police that he had received the check in the mail that day. According to police, he said he did not work for ProjectPayday.com and had no idea why they would send him a check. He allegedly said he needed money so he took a chance on cashing it even though the check might be fraudulent.