DOVER-FOXCROFT, Maine – A local man last week was charged with stealing a box of Maine Highlands FCU checks from an active duty U.S. Army soldier in 2008, then helping a group forge more than $14,000 worth of the stolen checks.
Bernie-James D’Augostine, 21, was indicted by a state grand jury last month and arrested on Jan. 27.
The stolen checks were discovered by the soldier, Shawn Burke, 24, when he was visiting relatives while on leave from a 15-month tour of duty in Iraq. He wrote a check for online courses at Husson College and the check failed to clear, prompting him to inquire about his credit union account. He later learned that a box of his checks had been stolen and his account had been nearly drained.
Three other people pleaded guilty to forgery charges in the case last year.
