Ex-hotel employee charged after reportedly cashing six fraudulent paychecks

Six Altered Paychecks Totaling $4,294.96

A former hotel employee in Cheyenne, Wyoming, is facing six felony forgery charges carrying a maximum potential penalty of 60 years in prison after allegedly depositing a series of altered payroll checks totaling more than $4,000, capacity.news reported.

Sheri Gertie, born in 1969, was arrested earlier this month following an investigation launched by the Cheyenne Police Department. Authorities say the scheme involved taking a legitimate final paycheck issued by the Red Lion Hotel and repeatedly copying it with altered check numbers.

Hotel Owner Traces Suspicious Deposits

The investigation began on September 25, when the owner of the Red Lion Hotel contacted police. He told investigators he had grown suspicious of Gertie, a former employee, after discovering she appeared to be cashing multiple copies of her final earnings statement, each featuring slight modifications.

According to police records cited by capacity.news, the original paycheck was genuine and valued at $715.71. Over the course of September, however, six additional checks identical to the first—save for their changed check numbers—were deposited at a local bank.

A Three-Week Window of Unapproved Transactions

The deposits occurred steadily over a three-week window, beginning on September 2 and concluding on September 23. In total, the unapproved payroll transactions amounted to $4,294.96.

Bond Set and Court Date Approaching

Following her arrest on six counts of forgery—one for each altered check—Gertie was issued a $6,000 cash bond. She is scheduled to appear in Laramie County Circuit Court for a preliminary hearing on November 4.

As the legal proceedings advance, Gertie remains presumed innocent until pleading or being found guilty in a court of law.

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