City woman charged with using checks stolen from her neighbor

August 18, 2012

WOONSOCKET – A 39-year-old city woman faces 33 criminal charges, including 18 felony counts, in connection with the fraudulent use of checks allegedly stolen from a neighbor's apartment, police said Friday.
Jennifer L. Bell, 39, of 19 Hamlet Ave., was charged after police investigated a complaint by a 53-year-old woman that someone had been writing checks to her checking account between June 4 and July 18.
The amounts were less than $500 per check but in total amounted to more than $3,000, police said.
Patrolman Thomas J. Duncan reported that the victim had been in the hospital for surgery between July 2 and July 26 and as a result had not been able to sign any documents during that time.
An investigation of the complaint by Det. Thomas Gormley identified two individuals to whom seven of the victim's stolen checks had been written out to and cashed. Gormley also found seven other checks had been made out to cash.

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