Deputies arrest Lugoff man with $500K in counterfeit checks from Nigeria

Posted: Jun 28, 2011 9:06 AM PDT
Updated: Jun 28, 2011 9:06 AM PDT
By Jason Old, New Media Content Director

KERSHAW COUNTY, SC (WIS) - A man who had just received a package from Nigeria containing over half a million dollars in counterfeit checks has been arrested, according to authorities.

Kershaw County Sheriff Jim Matthews said ICE agents and deputies arrested 63-year-old Norman Elliott at his home in Lugoff on Tuesday after he had gotten 199 counterfeit checks with a declared value of $554,000 in the mail.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents intercepted the package upon entry into the United States and contacted the Kershaw County Sheriff's Office with a request for assistance in their investigation.

ICE agents and Kershaw Co. deputies executed a controlled delivery of the checks to Elliott's residence where they subsequently seized an additional 21 counterfeit checks with a declared value of over $49K. "Working together, ICE agents and the Kershaw Co. Sheriff's Office prevented over $600,000.00 in counterfeit checks from hitting the streets of Kershaw County and elsewhere," Matthews said.

The sheriff said that this investigation, Elliott's arrest and seizure of these checks are prime examples of what can be done when agencies work together. "The criminal element in our county should be very concerned once they realize that the Kershaw County Sheriff's Office is working closely with other agencies to make our community safer," said Matthews.

Elliott is being held in the Kershaw County Detention Center. His case will be adjudicated in federal court in Columbia.

http://www.wistv.com/Global/story.asp?S=14990084