"Dewey, Cheatem & Howe" / Three Stooges / identity-fraud scheme.
[Yes, I am aware this is off topic ...]
August 30, 2001
Man Pleads Guilty in Stooges' Fraud
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Filed at 1:17 p.m. ET
LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) -- In the end, it was the Three Stooges who tripped up
Patrick Michael Penker.
During an identity-fraud scheme that lasted for several years, Penker used
variations of the name of a law firm from a Three Stooges episode -- ``Dewey,
Cheatem & Howe'' -- to obtain cashier's checks from banks.
Prosecutors said he bilked credit card companies and casinos out of $1 million.
It was John Reed, a banker at American State Bank in Lubbock, who became
suspicious about the name and contacted the FBI.
``It did seem just a bit unusual for a company name,'' Reed said Monday.
``Evidently, he fooled a lot of people.''
Penker, 54, pleaded guilty Monday in federal court and could get up 40 years in
prison and $1 million in fines. No sentencing date was set.
Copyright 2001 The Associated Press |
