Lang
2/27/24
Getting evicted from an Iowa City hotel has led to forgery charges against a Coralville man after hotel staff reportedly found a forgery operation had been running inside his room.
Iowa City Police say they were called to The Chauncey on East College Street just after 4:45 on the afternoon of December 15th, 2022 to help remove a pair of unruly guests who were being kicked out of their room for non-payment. One of the subjects…44-year-old Marcus Turner of Boston Way…allegedly lied about his name, although investigators say he accidentally used his real name in front of hotel staff.
Police say Turner and the other person fled the scene. A binder and two folders containing approximately 100 printed out checks were found hidden inside a closet. Checks were printed out to accounts belonging to the City of Iowa City and three different businesses. Multiple checks were allegedly made out to Turner and his accomplice in amounts varying between $500 and $3,000. A printer and a computer were also found inside the room, although the suspects reportedly fled with the printer before law enforcement could arrive.
Police say a search warrant executed on the computer turned up logins for both Turner and the other suspect, as well as templates of blank checks.
Turner and the co-defendant are now each charged with four counts of Forgery. If convicted on all charges, they each face a maximum of 20 years in prison.