Frank Jose Lassen

WARSAW — Kosciusko County authorities traveled to Arkansas to bring Frank Jose Lassen, also known as Frank Jose Lassen Garay, 36, 227 N. Eaton Ave., Indianapolis, back to Kosciusko County on two counts of fraud on a financial institution, both level 5 felonies; and two counts theft, both level 6 felonies. Lassen was booked in the Kosciusko County Jail at 6:14 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 12.

Court documents, one filed Nov. 19, 2014, and another filed on Dec. 3, 2014, in Kosciusko Superior Court 1, state on Nov. 14, Kosciusko County Detective JD Ayres met with a Lake City Bank loss prevention financial officer, regarding fraud on a financial institution.

The bank official reported on Nov. 3, 2014, Lassen opened a checking account with a $400 check allegedly written on an account he had with Farmers Bank. He also deposited a check for $650 on a PNC bank account in the name of a female. Both checks were later returned to the bank having been written on closed accounts.

Lassen proceeded to make 24 more deposits, by checks, between Nov. 12-14. All checks were returned on closed or frozen accounts. The checks totaled $38,064.70.

Additionally between those dates, Lassen removed $18,580.05 from the new Lake City Bank account, before the bank could close the account. The bank sent a letter to Lassen on Nov. 21, 2014, advising of the closure, with a deficit in the account of $19,484.65, which was a loss to the bank.

Bank officials later reported he had written and cashed two counter checks on Dec. 1, 2014, in the amount of $2,700 and $3,000 respectively. These checks were deposited into a Regions bank checking account. The bank suffered a loss of $5,700.

He is being held on $8,000 surety bond.