Woman Accused of Forging Checks From Terminally Ill Man

By Hayley Bruce, Reporter

Cynthia S. Garrido (Johnson County Sheriff's Office)

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By Belinda Yeung

Story Created: Jun 21, 2012 at 8:40 AM CDT

Story Updated: Jun 21, 2012 at 9:03 AM CDT

IOWA CITY, Iowa - An Iowa City woman is accused of theft and forgery after police say she wrote checks to herself from a terminally ill man’s bank account and stole his television after he passed away.

According to complaints from the Iowa City police department Cynthia S. Garrido, 54, wrote checks to herself totaling $2,700 from the account of a man who was sick with cancer and in no physical or mental condition to make financial decisions. Police said Garrido also paid her cable bill and court fines with checks from his account, totaling over $1,000, and wrote checks to two other people.

Police said a caretaker at the man’s home witnessed Garrido remove the checks from the man’s checkbook without prior permission. One check was unsigned, and none of the checks had the mans real signature on them, the complaint said. The caretaker also told police Garrido admitted she was writing the checks when prompted.

After the man was taken to the hospital on November 21, 2011, complaints said other caretakers witnessed Garrido remove his flat screen television – valued at $500 – from his apartment and place it in the trunk of her car. Police say she sold it to Money and More and received $120 for it later that day. Police also said she admitted to taking and selling the television because she “needed the money.” The man died at the hospital four days later.

Garrido is accused of forgery and second-degree theft, both of which are class D felonies punishable by a maximum of five years in prison and a fine of up to $7,500. She is also accused of fourth-degree theft, a serious misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in jail and a maximum fine of $1,875.