New Kensington man accused of check forgery ordered to stand trial
Share this post:
A New Kensington man has been ordered to stand trial for forgery after being accused of depositing a check that was erroneously delivered to his home.
Paul James Zielinski, 50, of the 500 block of North Street was charged Aug. 18 with a count of felony forgery and was released from custody on his own recognizance, according to court records.
He waived his right to a preliminary hearing during a Sept. 17 court appearance before District Judge Frank J. Pallone Jr., who ordered him to stand trial in Westmoreland County Court, where formal arraignment is scheduled for Oct. 18, court records show.
On. Aug. 10, a man reported to New Kensington police that a paycheck for $359.24 that was sent to his Taylor Avenue home was accidentally delivered to the wrong address and then deposited into an account at SoFi Bank, where he did not do any of his banking, according to a criminal complaint.
When the man contacted SoFi Bank, he was told that the account into which the check was deposited belonged to Zielinski, police said.
Police obtained a warrant for the bank records to get Zielinski’s address, but he was out of town when an officer went to question him, the complaint said.
A woman who answered the door was able to call Zielinski so police could speak with him, according to the complaint.
Zielinski was charged after he told police that neither he nor anyone else living at the house had an account with SoFi.