WESTPORT — A New York man has been charged with larceny in what appears to be another “check-washing” incident in Westport.

Dennes Melendez, 33, of New York City, was charged Feb. 1 with third-degree larceny in connection with the incident reported to police last July.

An investigation was launched July 19, 2022, into a local woman’s complaint that several checks she mailed apparently had been stolen and the check details subsequently were changed. 

At least one of the checks was deposited into an unfamiliar Bank of America account, police said. A police detective investigating the case secured a search warrant for the Bank of America account, and the account holder was identified as Melendez, according to the report.

Surveillance footage from an ATM showed Melendez depositing the check, which he also had endorsed for deposit, police said.

Melendez was taken into custody Feb. 1 at Rikers Island Correctional Center in New York City by Westport police detectives, and transported to Police Department headquarters where he was formally charged.

He was held on $40,000 bond for arraignment Feb. 9 at state Superior Court in Stamford.

Last February, Westport police issued a warning that the number of check-washing incidents was on the rise locally. 

Check washing, in general terms, occurs when a check is stolen — often from a residential or U.S. Postal Service mailbox — and details, such as the payee’s name and the amount, are erased and replaced with fraudulent information. The check is then either cashed or deposited in a bank account controlled by the thief.