42 A.M., Officer Logan Sanborn spoke with Brandon Markuson by phone regarding a false check report. Brandon told Officer Sanborn that he met a man online who went by the name Lee. Brandon said he later learned the individual’s full name was Anthony Lee Stands. He said Anthony wrote him a check for $1,580.00. Brandon said Anthony then asked him to deposit the check in his own account and then withdraw cash to give to him. Brandon said the check was written to him in the amount of $1,580.00 and was dated October 4, 2025. Brandon told Officer Sanborn that on October 6, 2025, he went to Bell Bank in Alexandria and deposited the check for $1,580.00 into his account.
He said the next day, Anthony drove him to Bell Bank in a white Ford F-150 pickup truck and he withdrew cash to give to Anthony. In the initial report, Officer Sanborn believed that Brandon withdrew the entire $1,580.00, but it was clarified later that Brandon withdrew $1,300.00, which he gave to Anthony. Brandon said Anthony waited in the pickup while he went inside and withdrew the cash. When asked later why he had agreed to do this for Anthony, Brandon said Anthony told him he did not have a bank account to cash the check himself and he wanted to be kind.
He also said Anthony told him he could keep the remaining $280.00. Brandon told Officer Sanborn that a few days later, Bell Bank informed him that the check he deposited from Anthony was written on a closed account and was not good. Bell Bank also informed him that he now had a negative balance in his account. Brandon said after he learned this information, he tried to get in touch with Anthony again, but Anthony stopped responding to him. Bradon said he is unsure where Anthony is living but said the address on his check was from Pelican Rapids.
Brandon provided a copy of the check to Officer Sanborn. Officer Sanborn noted that the check had Anthony Stands as the name on the account and was written out to Brandon Markuson. He also noted it was dated October 4, 2025, in the amount of $1,580.00 and was a SoFi bank checking account. The matter was referred to Detective Alec Swanson, who contacted Bell Bank. Bell Bank verified that Brandon had deposited a check from Anthony Stands, however it was deposited on October 7, 2025. Detective Swanson also learned that Brandon withdrew $1,300.00 on October 8, 2025. Detective Swanson looked at the surveillance video and noted that a white Ford F-150 pickup truck dropped Brandon off on October 8, 2025, and then Brandon enters the bank to make the withdrawal.
The license plate on the Ford pickup truck was registered to an individual out of Marshall, Minnesota, but was flagged as having been sold to Anthony Lee Stands. Detective Swanson also obtained bank records from Anthony Stands SoFi bank account and learned that the account was closed on August 22, 2025. On March 3, 2026, Brandon went to the Alexandria Police Station and participated in a double-blind photo lineup to see if he could identify the individual who gave him the bad check. Detective Elliot Draz administered the photo lineup to Brandon.
