The following is based on your complainant’s review of the reports of other officers and your complainant’s own investigation: On the morning of July 19, 2025, Maplewood Police received a report of check fraud and identity theft that had occurred the day before. AJL ([DOB REDACTED]) told officers that she had recently received a call from her bank, City & County Credit Union, [ADDRESS REDACTED]. E., Maplewood, Ramsey County that a woman claiming to be her (AJL) had come to the bank and attempted to deposit – and then immediately withdraw – a check.
She said that she did not know how the woman had obtained her personal information. She later told officers that an application for a credit card through the credit union had falsely been made in her name as well. An employee at the credit union told officers that he had served the woman claiming to be AJL the previous afternoon (July 18), when the woman came to the drive-through in a Toyota Sienna with three other occupants. He said that he recognized that the photo identification provided by the woman did not match that of AJL and alerted his manager.
He said that when he returned to the drive-through window, the Sienna had driven off. The woman had attempted to deposit a check for $1,000 purportedly written to AJL and simultaneously to withdraw the same amount from AJL’s account. She offered a temporary ID with her own photo but with the name, date of birth, and driver’s license number of AJL. The check, withdrawal slip, and ID were all recovered. Surveillance video was recovered. The woman who offered the check was positively identified as the defendant, YER YANG ([DOB REDACTED]). The check offered by the defendant had been written on the account of JM ([DOB REDACTED]). Although the signature appeared consistent with the signature on JM’s driver’s license, AJL’s name appeared to have been added separately, via another person’s handwriting.
AJL told officers that she does not know JM. Officers contacted JM. She confirmed that she does not know AJL either. She said that several months prior, she had written a check for $1,000 which she gave to a friend. She said that she regularly leaves the recipient field of her checks blank (for the recipient to fill in later), because of difficulty she experiences spelling names in English. She said that unfortunately, the check had since been stolen from the friend’s car. Officers cautioned her not to leave the recipient field blank in the future.
The defendant's criminal record includes at least six felony convictions, most involving check forgery or theft.
