Philly Man Charged for Cashing Gov’t Pension Check Heads to Trial

A 30-year-old Philadelphia man charged with fraudulently cashing a victim’s U.S. Government pension check in March is taking his case to a jury of his peers to judge.

Daniel Edwards in a recent court appearance waived his right to a preliminary hearing at Penndel Borough District Court before the Honorable Daniel Baranoski. Edwards, according to court records represented himself during the court proceeding.  

According to Penndel Borough Police, on June 4, 2024, a U.S. Government pension check in the amount of $3,105.19, payable to the victim, was cashed at Menniti Financial Services, located at 141 Durham Road in Penndel. 

Upon review of documents related to the cashing of the aforementioned check, it was determined that a counterfeit New Jersey driver’s license was presented by the individual attempting to cash the check. The fraudulent license purported that the holder was Mr. Garrison. However, while the personal identifying information on the counterfeit license was partially accurate for Mr. Garrison, it described and depicted a different individual. By endorsing the check and presenting the counterfeit license, the holder converted the pension check into cash, police wrote in the court records. 

The fake license’s photo was compared with other images in law enforcement accessible databases. This comparison revealed that the person depicted on the counterfeit New Jersey driver’s license, who cashed the victim’s check, was in fact Edwards, the probable cause alleges. 

Edwards was charged with five felony identity theft counts. A trial date has yet to be set, according to online court records.