Syracuse Woman Facing Fraud, Forgery And Theft Charges
May 27, 2020 at 1:04 a.m.
By Amanda Bridgman-
Leah Nicole Desomer, 21, of 153 EMS D24 Lane, Syracuse, was booked in the Kosciusko County Jail at 12:17 p.m. Friday and faces two Level 5 felony charges for fraud on a financial institution; two Level 6 felony forgery charges; two Level 6 felony theft charges; and one attempted theft Class A misdemeanor charge.
According to the probable cause affidavit filed March 16 in Kosciusko Superior Court III, on Feb. 17 a Kosciusko County Sheriff deputy responded to a report of theft of personal checks and money.
The officer spoke with a man and woman who said they were checking their Lake City Bank account and noticed two checks were made out to Desomer in the amount of $2,500 each and had been cashed. The couple told police that Desomer had recently been over to their house and that the checkbook was sitting on the kitchen counter during Desomer’s visits.
The following day, on Feb. 18, the couple contacted police again and said three more checks made out to Desomer had been cashed: one for $450, one for $2,500 and one for $2,000.
On Feb. 27, Desomer came back to visit the couple, and this time, the couple removed the checkbook from the woman’s purse and instead placed a $100 bill in the purse.
During the visit, according to court papers, the couple caught Desomer taking the $100 bill and confronted her while she was searching for the checkbook. The couple said they told Desomer they knew she had taken checks.
On March 2, police interviewed Desomer who, according to the affidavit, admitted she took the checks but said she “had thought her grandmother knew about it and allowed her to pay her bills with the money.”
Lake City Bank refunded the first two checks, for a total of $5,000, but did not refund the last three checks, which totals $4,950, according to court papers.
Desomer’s bond was set at $7,000, and she’s due in court for an initial hearing at 1 p.m. Thursday.
Leah Nicole Desomer, 21, of 153 EMS D24 Lane, Syracuse, was booked in the Kosciusko County Jail at 12:17 p.m. Friday and faces two Level 5 felony charges for fraud on a financial institution; two Level 6 felony forgery charges; two Level 6 felony theft charges; and one attempted theft Class A misdemeanor charge.
According to the probable cause affidavit filed March 16 in Kosciusko Superior Court III, on Feb. 17 a Kosciusko County Sheriff deputy responded to a report of theft of personal checks and money.
The officer spoke with a man and woman who said they were checking their Lake City Bank account and noticed two checks were made out to Desomer in the amount of $2,500 each and had been cashed. The couple told police that Desomer had recently been over to their house and that the checkbook was sitting on the kitchen counter during Desomer’s visits.
The following day, on Feb. 18, the couple contacted police again and said three more checks made out to Desomer had been cashed: one for $450, one for $2,500 and one for $2,000.
On Feb. 27, Desomer came back to visit the couple, and this time, the couple removed the checkbook from the woman’s purse and instead placed a $100 bill in the purse.
During the visit, according to court papers, the couple caught Desomer taking the $100 bill and confronted her while she was searching for the checkbook. The couple said they told Desomer they knew she had taken checks.
On March 2, police interviewed Desomer who, according to the affidavit, admitted she took the checks but said she “had thought her grandmother knew about it and allowed her to pay her bills with the money.”
Lake City Bank refunded the first two checks, for a total of $5,000, but did not refund the last three checks, which totals $4,950, according to court papers.
Desomer’s bond was set at $7,000, and she’s due in court for an initial hearing at 1 p.m. Thursday.
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