Second Georgia man charged in Johnson County forgery scheme

Another Georgia man has been charged in Johnson County in what authorities describe as a scheme to recruit help in forging checks from shelters and food pantries.

Deavin Baker, 35, of Palmetto, Ga., is the second man arrested in relation to the theft of $13,230.13 from multiple banks through forged checks in 2023. He’s charged in Johnson County with first-degree theft, conspiracy to commit a nonforcible felony and 10 counts of forgery.

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Last month, Mikal McCarty, 35, of Decatur, Ga., was arrested on the same set of charges.

According to criminal complaints, Baker and McCarty were two of a group of at least six people who recruited people from shelters and community food pantries in Eastern Iowa to cash forged checks for them on July 11 and July 12, 2023.

They would buy the recruited subjects clothes and burner phones and offer them $150 per day to attempt to cash fake checks that the group printed in the recruited person’s name. They also provided specific instructions about what to say and how to act when cashing the checks.

The amount on the checks ranged from $1,800 to $2,900, and the group attempted to cash them at banks in Iowa City, Nichols, Lone Tree, Coralville, North Liberty, La Porte City and Vinton, the complaints state.

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Four checks were cashed successfully, resulting in the more than $13,000 the group stole.

Baker and McCarty both had warrants issued for their arrest in November. McCarty was taken into custody March 6, and Baker was taken into custody Monday. McCarty was released March 18 from the Johnson County Jail after posting $24,000 bail. Baker had a first appearance in court Tuesday and was being held on a $65,000 bail.

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