On January 23, 2025, an officer with the Apple Valley Police Department was contacted by an individual, Victim herein, who received a notification regarding a fraudulent check with her name on it in the amount of $4,460. The check belonged to a couple who resided in Eden Prairie and was endorsed as paid to the order of Victim. Victim [NAME REDACTED] had also been used in the transaction, and that she did not know the Eden Prairie couple. The officer learned that the Eden Prairie couple had previously reported their checks were stolen.
The officer obtained a search warrant for the bank and received surveillance video, as well as dates, locations and times when Victim’s identification was used. The officer learned that Victim’s identification was used on January 21, 2025, at 3:51 PM at a bank in Eagan. The officer reviewed the surveillance video and provided it to the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office for facial recognition on the female suspect. The HCSO Information Analyst provided a match, identifying the female to be Scarlette Ann Sims [DOB REDACTED], “Defendant” herein.
In the surveillance video, the teller can be heard referring to Defendant with Victim’s name. When Defendant would not provide the last four digits of the account number, the teller informed her that they would not be able to cash the check, nor give it back to her.
