Scheme backfires when Palm Coast man arrested

Public Information Officer Debra Johnson reported to the local news desk of Historic City News that a 40 year-old Palm Coast man has been arrested Wednesday and charged with two counts of grand theft and two counts of organized scheme to defraud.

Detectives say that Daniel J. Orr, of Laguna Court in Palm Coast, attempted to open a bank account with a fraudulent check and they think this isn’t his first time.

Orr was being held in the Flagler County Inmate Facility Wednesday evening on $45,000 bond.

Detectives said Orr went into the Space Coast Credit Union in Palm Coast and attempted to open an account with a $63,000 check from Wells Fargo Bank. Credit union officials put a hold on the account until the check cleared, but the check never cleared.

The check was returned by Wells Fargo Bank because the account number was not valid. Orr claimed the problem was that his account had been dormant for a while. He told bank officials that he had a significant amount of money in that account and wanted to move it to a local account so he could live off it, until he got his new found racing career going.

Orr returned several days later with a second Wells Fargo check, this time for $65,000. Another hold was placed on the account, but then Orr and an unidentified female began calling the credit union to get the hold removed.

At one point, a female called in claiming to be the branch manager and instructed the teller to lift the hold.

Orr cashed two checks, each for $400 off the account, before bank officials noticed the hold had been lifted.

Detectives contacted Wells Fargo Bank and were informed the checks were forgeries. Orr was located at his Palm Coast home and taken into custody.

“The investigation indicates that Mr. Orr has done this in other states and other areas in South Florida,” said Flagler County Sheriff Donald W. Fleming.

Detectives are asking financial institutions or any check cashing services to contact them if they have received similar fraudulent checks from Orr. The detectives may be reached at (386) 586-4801.