Secaucus woman accused of stealing $8,800 in fraudulent check scheme, police say

A Secaucus woman stole nearly $9,000 by depositing two checks from a fraudulent bank account and then blew the money within days, authorities said.

Maritza Velez was arrested Oct. 15 for the holdups that occurred July 8 and July 10, Secaucus Police Chief Dennis Miller said. She was charged with theft by deception and forgery.

According to Miller and a criminal complaint, Velez, 44, wrote a fraudulent Bank of America check for $3,900 from a non-existent account on July 8 and had her mother deposit it into the young woman’s account of 44 at Haven Savings in Secaucus.