St. Paul man receives probation, community service in check forgery plea deal
Matthew Theodore Matushak / Olmsted County ADC
(ABC 6 News) – A St. Paul man who pleaded guilty to check forgery with the intent to defraud was sentenced to 5 years’ supervised probation, as well as 60 hours of community service Wednesday.
Matthew Theodore Matushak, 37, could be re-sentenced to 17 months in prison if he fails to complete his probation, according to Minnesota court records.
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(ABC 6 News) – A St. Paul man charged with check fraud was arrested Aug. 7 on an Olmsted County warrant after failing to appear for his July 12 initial appearance.
After Matthew Theodore Matushak, 37, appeared in court Aug. 8, he was released on $0 bond with conditions and promptly failed to appear for his second court hearing Sept. 6, according to Minnesota court records.
Matushak was re-arrested Monday, Sept. 11, according to the Olmsted County ADC, and was assigned $20,000 bail without conditions Tuesday, Sept. 12.
His next hearing is scheduled for Sept. 25.
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(ABC 6 News) – A St. Paul man faces a check forgery charge in Olmsted County which may be connected to a larger fraud case, according to law enforcement.
According to court documents, Matthew Theodore Matushak, 36, was arrested after Merchants Bank staff reported a fraudulent check to Rochester police at about 2:20 p.m. Friday, June 23.
Two false checks appearing to be from Luxury Bath Remodeling, a Rochester business, had been presented to Northfield Banks on June 22, so bank staff were on the lookout for similar attempts.
According to court records, bank employees told Rochester police that Matushak had presented them with a $3,670 check, using the “cover” of being part of a construction crew that had just received payment.
The Northfield suspects had presented similar stories, according to court documents.
According to court records, Matushak was placed under arrest and taken to the Olmsted County Adult Detention Center, where he allegedly told police two women from St. Paul had driven him to Rochester so he could cash the check in exchange for a portion of the payout.
Court documents state the owner of Luxury Bath Remodeling confirmed that the check Matushak presented to the bank was fake, and said the fake checks may have been patterned after ones stolen from his mail.
Matushak’s next court appearance is scheduled for July 12.