New Canaan Police on June 10 arrested a 54-year-old New Jersey woman accused of forging multiple checks of a local business.
On July 3, 2023, NCPD Officer Nicole Vartuli spoke to a local septic company’s bookkeeper regarding fraudulent checks that were cashed against their business checking account, Vartuli said in an arrest warrant application.
The employee had noticed that three checks, each for a significant amount, had been cashed that neither she nor the company had written out, according to the police affidavit, signed by a prosecuting attorney and a state Superior Court judge.
The forged check design matched that of the company’s checks, and the suspect fraudulently signed the name of the business owner, Vartuli said. The suspect also changed the payee name and dollar amounts on each check, which totalled a $62,000.92 loss for the business.
Two checks, totaling $48,000.60, were made out to the arrested New Jersey native, and one check for $14,000.32 was made out to a New York woman, according to the application.
Vartuli received a search warrant for two JP Morgan Chase Bank accounts, which provided suspect names and account and transaction information of where the victim’s money was deposited, the affidavit said.
A large deposit was made into the arrested woman’s bank account on June 16, 2023, which had previously had a negative account balance, Vartuli said.
Chase Bank also provided NCPD with the suspect’s signature, which Vartuli observed resembled the fraudulent signature on the victim’s checks, the application said.
On April 4, 2025, Vartuli spoke with the Union City, New Jersey police department to inquire about the past fraudulent behavior of the suspect, according to the affidavit. Upon confirming the suspect’s location, Vartuli believed that probable cause had been established to arrest the suspect on charges of first-degree larceny and third-degree forgery.
The suspect turned herself in to New Canaan Police on June 10 and has since been released from custody after her bond of $50,000 was posted. The suspect is scheduled to be arraigned Aug. 14, according to Connecticut Judicial Branch records. She will be represented by Ruane Attorneys.