Iowa City woman accused of stealing $8,500 from her parents in check cashing scheme

IOWA CITY - An Iowa City woman is accused of stealing more than $8,000 from her parents by forging checks.

According to Iowa City police criminal complaints, between Nov. 12, 2015 and Dec. 16, the victims reported their signatures being forged onto 15 stolen checks. Police said the checks were written to five different subjects and cashed at six locations in Iowa City, Coralville and West Liberty. The checks totaled $8,585.97, police said.

After reviewing surveillance footage and electronic messages and interviewing suspects and witnesses, police found the checks had been forged by the victim's daughter, 25-year-old Gretchen R. Happel and her boyfriend, who is not named in the criminal complaint.

Police said Happel and her boyfriend stole the checks and wrote them to other subjects, who cashed the checks. The subjects were paid a portion of the check for their efforts.

Happel has been arrested and faces charges of second-degree theft and forgery, which are both Class D felonies punishable by up to five years in prison.