A shopping spree funded by forged travelers checks ended Wednesday with the arrest of a 43-year-old Vacaville man. The suspect passed bad checks at nine businesses, and more may be reported, according to Sonoma Police.
Daniel Joseph Brigham was nabbed near the Plaza at about 5 p.m. when one of the scammed shopkeepers, talking to police about being paid with a forged American Express travelers check, saw the suspect walking nearby.
Brigham was apprehended as he entered his vehicle. A search of the car turned up several hundred dollars in cash, a fraudulent California Driver’s License, and many items purchased from local Sonoma businesses using the fake travelers checks. Much of that property has been returned to its store of origin, police reported. No values were disclosed.
Brigham was subsequently identified, both in person and by photo line-up, by all nine of the victimized shops.
He was booked into the Sonoma County jail on charges of burglary, forgery, possession of fraudulent identification, and for obtaining goods by false pretenses.
The breadth of the scam, and the fact that none of the bogus checks were found on him or in his car, lead police to consider Brigham was working with a partner. “It’s hard to believe there wouldn’t be an accomplice,” said Sonoma Police Sgt. Darin Dougherty.
