Two unauthorized houseguests arrested for check fraud

By Cleve Wiese

Published: June 9, 2008

Two women were arrested Wednesday for allegedly writing up to $18,000 in fraudulent checks two-years ago after illegally moving into an unoccupied Augusta County residence.
Ashley Lambert, 23, of Waynesboro, and Nickole Fitzgerald, 25, of Staunton and Samuel Lee Simmons, of Spottswood, broke into a Stuarts Draft home in August 2006 after a family emergency caused the owner to hastily relocate to Newport News, said Investigator A.C. Powers of the Augusta County Sheriff’s Department.
All three were convicted in late 2006 and early 2007 of trespassing, according to court records.
During their two-month stay in the fully-furnished residence, the trio allegedly located the owner’s checkbook and used it to pay for food and utilities, as well as writing a string of checks to each other and various acquaintances for cash, Powers said. The checks totaled between $15,000 and $18,000, he said.
Fitzgerald was arrested Friday on 39 felony charges of forgery, 18 felony charges of obtaining money by false pretenses and one felony charge of conspiring to obtain money by false pretenses. Lambert was arrested on 10 felony charges of forgery, nine felony charges of obtaining money by false pretenses and one felony charge of conspiring to obtain money by false pretenses. Related charges are pending against Simmons, who is currently incarcerated, Powers said.
The charges come so long after the offenses because of the complexity of sorting through evidence and bank records to determine who was responsible for writing and cashing which checks, Powers said.
Fitzgerald and Lambert are both currently being held in Middle River Regional Jail.