Lang
10/30/21
An Iowa City man with a history of disputing charges on his bank account has been arrested after police say he made a false report of unauthorized transactions on the same account.
According to arrest records, 56-year-old Melvin Howard of the Lake Ridge manufactured housing community came into the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office on South Capitol Street just before 2:30pm on September 15th and filed a report of fraudulent activity. Howard allegedly claimed his debit card had been stolen, and approximately $1,500 in unauthorized transactions had been made over the span of a few days.
Howard’s financial institution reported that he has a history of disputing charges, and an investigation using surveillance video reportedly proves Howard was using the card on the dates where the fraudulent activity was reported to have occurred.
Howard was booked into the Johnson County Jail just before 5:15 Friday morning and charged with Making a False Report of an Indicatable Offense to Law Enforcement. If convicted, he faces a maximum of one year in jail.