BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) - A Georgia man accused of recruiting Montana transients to participate in a check-cashing scheme has pleaded guilty to forgery charges.
Chaney Demond Sibley of Atlanta appeared Tuesday before District Judge Russell Fagg in Billings.
Prosecutors say the 27-year-old Sibley and three others forged payroll checks stolen from mailboxes using transients’ personal information. They paid the transients to cash the checks.
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Charging documents say they cashed about $24,500 in checks between Jan. 6 and 8.
A plea agreement to five felony counts recommends that Sibley be given a suspended 10-year prison sentence, pay a $500 fine and write apology letters to the victims.
Another man, Justin Phillips, also has pleaded guilty to forgery.
Two other men from Georgia are accused of a series of similar check-cashing sprees in October and November.
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