Police: Homeless men used to cash fake checks

The men were Scott Rutledge, 44; Roderick Gray, 43; and Ralph Callahan III, 36, all of Atlanta.

Initially, Rutledge cashed a check and left the bank with a certain amount of money, po-lice said. Subsequently, Gray and Callahan went inside the bank to conduct the same transaction.

A bank employee became suspicious because the checks presented were allegedly from a fork lift company based in Hoschton that has an account with Hamilton State Bank. The bank officials contacted the Braselton Police Department and officers arrived at the scene.

When the suspects were interviewed, Gray was found in possession of a check from the same business. These checks were later found to be forgeries.

In the course of interviews with Det. Sgt. J.D. Gille, Rutledge, Gray and Callahan claimed that they were homeless men from Atlanta who had been approached by two unknown black males, who drove them to Braselton and promised to give them a certain amount of money in return for cashing these checks.

Gille said the two suspects approached the three homeless men in a soup line on Peachtree Road and Trinity Street in downtown Atlanta offered them money for some work. The suspects took the men to a hotel, where they stayed for the night and were served breakfast the next morning.
The suspects then drove the homeless to Braselton, where they were given instructions on how to cash the fake checks, Gille said.

The men were told to cash the checks at the bank and place the money in a McDonald’s bag. Then, the men were told to drop the bags in a trash can in the bathroom of a nearby Subway, Gille said. The homeless men were then instructed on how someone would pick them up on I-85.
When police arrived at the Subway, the cash was gone, Gille said. He believes the two suspects were watching the homeless men from another location during the incident.

Gille said there was a similar case involving homeless men and fake checks at a Braselton bank in 2007.

“They’re being used,” Gille said. “And the ones who are the real masterminds behind this scheme are free right now with some money in their pocket.”

Braselton police are searching for the two men who drove the homeless men to the town.

Rutledge and Callahan were charged with forgery in the first degree; Gray with forgery in the second degree. Rutledge, Gray and Callahan were taken to the Barrow County jail for booking.