Police: Man arrested after trying to cash a U.S. Treasury check at Walmart using a false ID

Riverhead police report the arrest of a Nassau County man Saturday after he allegedly attempted to cash a U.S. Treasury Department check using a false or forged passport at the Walmart store in Riverhead.

According to the report, patrol officers responded to a call from a Walmart employee reporting the incident and arrested the suspect as he attempted to flee on foot. The suspect was able to get into a vehicle waiting nearby, which then fled the area, police said.

The Riverhead Police Department’s Detective Division investigated and later arrested Michael T. Richards, 34, of Elmont, on one of each of the following charges, police said:

• first-degree identity theft, a Class D felony;
• Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument in the Second Degree, a Class D Felony; And
• Obstructing governmental administration, a Class A misdemeanor.

Richards was arraigned in Riverhead Justice Court and held for arraignment, according to the report.

Editor’s note: A criminal complaint is an accusation. A person charged with a crime is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.