‘Man’ who tried to scam a bank turns out to be a grandma in her 40s

By
Daily Mail Reporter

PUBLISHED:

20:07 EST, 19 September 2012

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UPDATED:

20:07 EST, 19 September 2012

Police chasing a fraudster who attempted to pass a bad check were shocked when the male suspect they apprehended turned out to be a grandmother.

Brenda Ann Caddell, 47, of no fixed address was arrested by police in Delray Beach, Florida after crashing the stolen car she was driving into a wall.

A bank teller provided police with a
description of the offender as: ‘possible male, thin build, 30 to 40 years
of age and wearing a dark, curly wig.’

Grandma: Brenda Ann Caddell, 47, was arrested for attempting to pass a bad check

Caddell, who has a long list of previous offenses, attempted to cash a bad check at the drive-thru of the Regions Bank in Delray Beach on Tuesday night.

When it became apparent that her scam wasn’t going to work, Caddell drove off quickly leaving behind her check, debit card and driver’s license.

Three people were in the car when it crashed. A man named Stuart Williams was charged with resisting arrest, while a third person escaped.

Caddell has confessed to trying to pass the bad check. She told investigators that she had also successfully cashed a $1,400 check and been paid $60 to do so, reports the Sun Sentinel.

Her prior convictions include
prostitution, cocaine possession, aggravated assault with a weapon,
discharging a destructive device and grand theft firearm.

Drive-thru: The Regions Bank in Delray Beach, where Caddell attempted to cash a bad check on Tuesday night

Repeat offender: Caddell's prior convictions include prostitution, cocaine possession, aggravated assault with a weapon, discharging a destructive device and grand theft firearm

Repeat offender: Caddell’s prior convictions include prostitution, cocaine possession, aggravated assault with a weapon, discharging a destructive device and grand theft firearm

Caddell has been imprisoned 11 times since 1988 in four Florida counties, not including Tuesday’s arrest in Palm Beach County, according to Florida Department of Corrections records.

She is also known to have used about 25 different aliases, although it isn’t know if any were male.

After the Delray Beach bank incident, Caddell was charged with uttering a worthless document, using another person’s identity for personal gain and grand theft. She was held in custody in lieu of $3,000 bond.

Delray Beach police spokeswoman Sgt. Nicole Guerriero said the arrest is another example of the ‘huge problem’ of identity theft in South Florida.

Guerriero urged residents to only carry the documents they absolutely need and to keep their Social Security card and birth certificate at home secured.