Man admits to $19,000 cheque fraud

A 45-year-old man has admitted to a $19,000 cheque fraud.

Between July 25 to 26 last year, Todd Michael Smith used a stolen ANZ cheque book to receive a total of $19,100 in cash.

Smith pleaded guilty when he appeared in the Whanganui District Court on Tuesday to four charges of obtain by deception over $1000.

The police summary of facts stated Smith committed the fraud through four visits to three different Wellington banks over 25 hours.

Police prosecutor Sergeant Stephen Butler said Smith was at ANZ Bank Kilbirnie on July 25.

"The cheque had previously been written out by an unknown person to the value of $4500, payable to cash.

"The defendant presented the stolen cheque, signed the back of the cheque and produced his driver's licence as identification. He received the $4500 in cash from the teller and left the bank," Sergeant Butler said.

Twenty minutes later Smith appeared at ANZ Bank Newton and received $3600 cash using the same cheque book and the same method of fraud.

About an hour later, Smith repeated the same actions at ANZ Bank Karori for a further $3200 cash.

Sergeant Butler said the following day Smith went back to ANZ Bank Karori to receive a final $7800 in cash using the same cheque book and method of fraud.

The explanation given by Smith was that he found the cheques and that they did not belong to him but he decided to cash them.

Judge Philip Crayton convicted Smith of all charges and remanded him for sentencing on September 28 in the Whanganui District Court.