Officials release few details in Lakewood Ranch check washing scam

Because investigations remain active, neither the United States Postal Service or the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office were willing to give specific information about a "multitude” of mail theft and check washing that stems from the post office on Post Boulevard in Lakewood Ranch. 

The two agencies would only confirm the illegal activity.

However, several Lakewood Ranch residents are sharing their stories on the Nextdoor app, three of which spoke directly to the East County Observer.

With the exception of the payees’ names, their accounts are nearly identical. 

The checks were placed in the dropbox in the post office’s lobby. The checks were then stolen, washed (the ink is removed with chemicals, such as acetone) and rewritten to different payees. The amounts of the checks remained the same as originally written, likely to avoid or delay detection. 

Lakewood Ranch’s Deborah Giambrone realized the fraud when the closing of her home in Rochester, New York was delayed because her taxes weren’t paid, except she was sure they had been. The check had been mailed and cashed. 

It’s one of the few checks Giambrone writes in a year because it’s a large sum and online payments are charged a 3% fee. 

The payee was changed to the name Destiny Anderson, and the check was deposited using Truist Bank’s mobile app. 

Rosedale resident Jerry Tippin’s check was changed to the name of a registered Florida LLC, Brady Bachmann Holdings LLC, located in Destin, Florida. Requests for comment went unreturned by the LLC’s registered agent Sean B. Bachmann.

Kathy Kraninger, president and CEO of the Florida Bankers Association, said identity theft is prevalent in these types of cases, as is insider fraud. 

In May 2025, Bradenton’s Anabel Ossombi was sentenced to seven years in prison followed by 38 years of probation for stealing and depositing over $70,000 worth of checks into her personal account between May 2022 and April 2023. 

Ossombi worked as a mail sorter and was arrested in April 2023 at the post office on Beneva Road in Sarasota. She was also ordered to pay $64,246.79 in restitution. 

Ossombi wasn’t washing the checks, and it was an isolated case of one individual perpetrating the crime. Kraninger noted that check washing is often an organized crime orchestrated by multiple individuals and happens on a massive scale.

The mail dropped off at the post office in Lakewood Ranch is sent to the Manasota Processing and Distribution Center at 2205 Tallevast Road in Tallevast, Florida, so the checks aren’t necessarily being stolen in Lakewood Ranch. 

“There is a real push to phase out paper checks,” Kraninger said. “Consumers do still have a choice, but it’s one of those challenges that is going to continue to be a prevalent type of fraud as long as checks still exist.” 

According to Nasdaq’s 2024 Global Financial Crime Report, check fraud resulted in $21 billion in losses in North and South America in 2023. 

As of Sept. 30, 2025, the federal government stopped issuing paper checks for most federal payments, including tax returns, which are being phased out “to the extent of the law.” Exceptions exist for individuals with disabilities, religious objections or those without bank accounts.

A press release from the Internal Revenue Service dated Sept. 23, 2025 states that paper checks are over 16 times more likely to be lost, stolen, altered or delayed than electronic payments. 

How to protect yourself

Kraninger offered some advice for individuals who want to continue writing checks — layered security measures. For example, buy the more expensive checks that have more security features and use a gel pen because they penetrate the paper better.

It’s also important to monitor your account and pay attention to timing. Timing is what alerted Lakewood Ranch’s Don Kaltenbach that something was amiss with his check. 

He mailed a check to Michigan, and it was cashed two days later. 

“It takes a good five days, not 24 hours, to get to Michigan,” Kaltenbach said. “That was awfully fast.” 

Kaltenbach alerted his bank immediately, which Kraninger said is important because after 60 to 90 days, the odds of getting your funds back lower by the day.

When using a USPS blue collection box to drop off mail, U.S. Postal Inspector Kristi Parkerson recommended looking at the collection times located on the box. 

Avoid dropping mail after the last collection time because “criminals tend to work after dark.” 

“Don’t let your mail sit overnight in a USPS blue collection box or even in your residential mailbox,” Parkerson said. “If you believe your mail was stolen, report it immediately online at USPIS.gov/report or by calling (877) 876-2455.”