A Tampa man is behind bars in the Charlotte County Jail, facing multiple charges related to a fraudulent check scheme that defrauded a Port Charlotte business.
Giovanni Gladman was arrested Monday by Charlotte County deputies, nearly nine months after the crimes were initially committed.
Gladman is one of five suspects accused of targeting Hamshers Homes, a local business in Port Charlotte. The group allegedly gained access to one of the company’s checks, using it to create counterfeit versions. Detectives said the suspects then cashed fraudulent checks totaling over $10,000, which was deposited into their own accounts.
The suspects carried out their scheme by cashing the forged checks at various branches of Crews Bank in both Charlotte and Sarasota Counties. Their goal was to spread out the fraudulent transactions across multiple locations to avoid raising suspicion.
However, despite the deception, Hamshers Homes quickly noticed discrepancies in their accounts. The company alerted authorities.
In this case, Hamshers Homes was able to recover the stolen funds from the bank. However, Crews Bank has decided to press charges against Gladman and the four other suspects involved. They are all facing serious charges, including uttering forged checks, scheming to defraud, and grand theft.