Coral Springs man faces grand theft charges after depositing $70,000 in credit union checks that were supposed to be shredded
Coral Springs, Florida – A Coral Springs man is facing two counts of grand theft after authorities say he deposited two credit union checks worth a combined $70,000 even though the checks were supposed to be destroyed.
Shawn Edward Mathew Noel, 27, of Glenwood Drive, was booked into the Broward County Jail on Aug. 9 following a traffic stop in Tamarac. A Broward County deputy stopped the SUV Noel was driving on Rock Island Road because its license plate light was not working. When the deputy checked Noel’s information, the system showed an outstanding warrant connected to two counts of grand theft.
According to a probable cause affidavit, the case began months earlier during a training exercise at Bright Star Credit Union. An employee was using new credit union software in January and practicing by running transactions through member accounts. The training was not supposed to produce physical checks, but two checks were printed.
The checks were made out for $40,000 and $30,000. Court records say both checks carried Noel’s name. Instead of being destroyed, the checks apparently remained available and later entered the banking system.
Authorities say Noel deposited both checks at Space Coast Credit Union on Jan. 13. The transactions were made only one minute apart, at 1:07 p.m. and 1:08 p.m. Both deposits went into an account belonging to Noel’s company, One Line Connect LLC.
The checks did not clear. Bank records listed the reason as “Altered/Fictitious Check.”
Investigators later questioned Noel about the deposits. During an interview with a detective, Noel reportedly gave an explanation involving an online employment opportunity. He said a company had hired him through the internet and sent him a $30,000 check as an advance toward a salary of $7,000 per month.
According to the affidavit, Noel said the company then instructed him to send back the remaining money. However, investigators said he could not identify the company or explain what kind of work he had supposedly been hired to perform.
Noel also denied knowing about the $40,000 check. The detective reportedly showed him his own account statement, which documented the deposit, but Noel still said he had never seen the check, according to the affidavit.
The investigation also focused on the credit union employee who had been handling the training exercise. The employee, identified in court records as 21-year-old Mykailah Miller, told her manager that she could not remember whether she had shredded the checks.
Miller subsequently lost her job. A warrant for her arrest was approved in May, although she had not been booked as of the latest court records cited in the case. Records say she was involved in a car crash and hospitalized with life-threatening injuries.
The case against Noel moved forward after authorities connected the checks to the deposits made into his company’s account. The two transactions, totaling $70,000, form the basis of the two grand theft charges.
Noel was released after posting bond on both counts on Aug. 10. He is scheduled to appear in court on Aug. 26 at the Broward County Central Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale.
The allegations remain accusations, and the charges have not been proven in court. The upcoming hearing will give the court an opportunity to consider the case as the legal process continues.
