California man arrested following forgery incident in Phoenix

PHOENIX - Investigators in Arizona say a California man has been arrested following an incident involving fraudulent IDs at a credit union in Phoenix.

Court documents identified the man as 27-year-old John Leslie William Brown of Altedena, Calif., which is located in the Los Angeles area. Brown was arrested on April 29, when police were called to the area of Camelback Road and 20th Street for a suspicious person call.

"Upon arrival, officers contacted the bank manager who advised that 2 Black male, one being the defendant, entered the bank and the defendant requested to be added to an account," investigators wrote.

The account Brown wanted to be added to is linked to a company. The manager asked for identification, but later realized the IDs were fraudulent "based on his experience working in a bar setting and checking identifications." Brown later provided an Arizona ID, a New York ID, and a Social Security card to officers, but checks ran on all three IDs came back with no results.

(U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Gustavo Castillo/Released)

Per investigators, Brown said during an interview that he was given the IDs by another man who was not at the scene.

"He said that the additional male offered him one to two thousand dollars to come to Arizona and go into the bank, present the identifications, and sign a paper," court documents read.

The photo on the IDs were taken at home, according to Brown, and was sent to a contact in Arizona. Brown also said he did not know what he was signing.

Brown is accused of a count of Taking the Identity of Another Person and a count of Forgery, both of which are felonies. A judge has set a $3,500 bond for Brown, and he is scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing on May 9.