A Montgomery, Texas, woman and a Middletown, New York, man face criminal charges related to a forged check cashed at a bank in Nesquehoning in late May.

Paula Collins, 55, and Rodney Amoyaw, 34, were both charged with theft, forgery and unauthorized access device, all felony charges.

Amoyaw was arraigned last week by District Judge Beth Dodson and released on $100,000 unsecured bail. His preliminary hearing is July 10.

Collins, who was arraigned June 11, waived the charges against her to Carbon County Court of Common Pleas last week, and she is free on $25,000 unsecured bail.

According to court papers, Collins attempted to cash a check from Berco Fleet Services Inc. for $3,988 at the Mauch Chunk Trust Bank inside Redner’s Markets and provided an identification with the name, Tonya Taylor.

She was told that she needed to deposit the check in order for it to be cashed. She said she didn’t know her account number, and the bank teller filled out a deposit slip and Collins signed the check as Tonya Taylor, court papers said.

The check was deposited into Taylor’s account, and the teller filled a withdrawal ticket for the same amount as the check, $3,988. Collins received the $3,988 in cash and left the bank, court papers said.

A fraud investigator from the bank contacted Nesquehoning police and related he was aware of an incident Hazleton that may be related.

Borough police contacted Hazleton police, who stopped a stolen vehicle on May 24 and seized checks from Berco Fleet Services, a notebook with names and information from people around the area in it, including Tonya Taylor, and $4,000.

One of the people taken into custody during the Hazleton vehicle stop was Collins, who admitted to cashing fraudulent checks and one at a bank inside a grocery store, court papers said.

Video surveillance from the bank shows Collins in the bank and leaving after receiving the cash. The bank teller also positively identified Collins, court papers said.

Collins told police that she cashed checks using Taylor’s name. She has done this process multiple times in different locations and states under the direction of Amoyaw, court papers said.

She told police that Amoyaw picked her up in New Jersey and gave her the information on Taylor along with the checks and fake identification. Amoyaw then drove her to the bank, where she got the cash and gave it all to Amoyaw.

Amoyaw was taken into custody and charged with receiving stolen property May 24 in the Hazleton case. He was initially committed to the Luzerne County prison in lieu of $75,000 bail, and then released on $75,000 unsecured bail at the request of his attorney.

The receiving stolen property charge was bound over the Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas. A dispositional hearing is scheduled July 22.