Bismarck Check Scammers Charged

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — Two Georgia men have been charged in North Dakota in connection with a ring that cashed several counterfeit checks worth thousands of dollars.

Thirty-one-year-old Marlis Hill and 30-year-old Antonio Stephens have been charged with forgery or counterfeiting and other counts.

KCMB-TV reports court records state that Hill and Stephens convinced three Bismarck men to work for them and were promised a cut of the checks they were asked to cash.

Authorities allege the men cashed checks worth over $14,000.

North Dakota Highway Patrol troopers found 17 counterfeit checks in a vehicle after arresting Hill and Stephens Sunday. Records show Stephens told a trooper he and Hill participated in an Atlanta-based scam.

Hill's attorney declined to comment on the case. Stephens's attorney didn't immediately return a call seeking comment.