Two charged with stealing over $25K from Iowa City employer

Two people have been arrested on charges that they forged multiple fake checks and used them to steal over $25,000 from their Iowa City employer.

Grace Elise Morrison, 20, of Iowa City, and Jared Lee Johnson, 26, of Nichols, each are charged with forgery and first-degree theft against an older individual. Morrison also is charged with possession of a controlled substance, providing false identification information and interference with official acts.

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According to a criminal complaint, Morrison and Johnson both worked for the same individual during summer 2024 and had access to their employer’s home, where he keeps his checkbooks.

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The employer — who was not identified in the complaint — wasn’t watching his bank account closely because he was dealing with medical problems. So he didn’t notice immediately when thousands of dollars worth of checks that he did not issue were cashed between Oct. 14 and Dec. 4, 2024.

The bank notified the employer of the odd amount of checks that were written out to Morrison and Johnson, and he went to the bank and looked through all the checks that had been cashed to pick out the ones that he did not write. In total, there were $7,435 worth of fraudulent checks issued to Johnson and $18,835 worth of fraudulent checks issued to Morrison.

When the employer returned home and looked, he noticed one of his checkbooks was missing, according to complaints.

Warrants for Morrison’s and Johnson’s arrests were issued Feb. 24 and both were taken into custody Tuesday. When police attempted to arrest Morrison, she gave them a false name and tried to run but was caught and placed in handcuffs, records show. Police also found a green leafy substance in her purse that they believe is marijuana, according to criminal complaints.

Morrison and Johnson had their first appearances in court Wednesday and were released without bail.

Comments: (319) 398-8328; emily.andersen@thegazette.com