Pair arrested for cashing fraudulent checks

BY JENNIFER CABRERA

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Kirk Allan Phillips, 59, and Joseph Martin Turns, Jr., 49, were arrested yesterday and charged with grand theft and uttering a forged instrument after allegedly attempting to cash fraudulent checks.

On February 14, Turns allegedly took a check from All Florida Electric for $2,280 to Radiant Community Bank on NW 43rd Street and cashed it. A representative from All Florida Electric later told the bank that the check was not issued to Phillips, and he didn’t have permission to cash it.

On February 23, both men went to Suncoast Bank on SW 37th Blvd with checks. Phillips allegedly tried to cash a check from a Lake City business that was made out to him for $2,289.45. Turns allegedly tried to cash a check from the same business for $2,400. However, a bank employee remembered Turns from the February 14 incident and called the business, which verified that the check was fraudulent.

A Gainesville Police Department officer made contact with the two men at the bank. Post Miranda, Turns reportedly said he was hired by a company, performed work, and was paid with the check. Phillips reportedly said he was recruited by an unknown man who offered him 10% of the check amount.

Phillips’ interview indicated that he had been in Alachua County for only a day; however, he received a citation for careless driving on January 16. He has eight misdemeanor convictions in other counties and other states. He was charged with grand theft under $5,000 and fraud; Judge Thomas Jaworski set bail at $3,000.

Turns is listed as homeless and has three misdemeanor convictions in other counties and other states. He has been charged with two counts of grand theft under $5,000, two counts of fraud, and one count of fraud by obtaining property under $20,000; Judge Jaworski set bail at $5,000.

Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. 

  • Headline should have read “Phillips and Flathead’s Luck take Turns for the Worst.” 😄

  • Why do the riffraff keep coming to Gainesville?

    Poe & Ward invited them.

  • Well surprise surprise surprise, the maggot magnet of Gville’s welcome mat courthouse is still going strong 🤡👹🤬😡🥺

  • Send the homeless guy outta here & back to where he belongs or put him to work cleaning up all the fast food trash flying around on the sidewalks & city streets. “Be a can handler, not a panhandler”… The mayor could save taxpayer money by putting prisoners & homeless to work to help pay their debt back to society..

    • We’re having a little graffiti (graffito) problem in the city right now…I called about some graffiti on the NW 8th Ave overpass @ 13th st….it doesn’t look good. “Broken window effect”. They need to catch them and make them clean it up with their noses..
      Guy from public works says I have to call DOT….That’s total BS. When Russ Blackburn was city manager,
      He made sure it was cleaned up…
      Russ Blackburn was a better city manager than what we have now.

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