Bay County Sheriff Frank McKeithen announced today the arrest of a couple believed responsible for a 6 month spree of counterfeit check writing from Leon County to Mobile, Alabama.

In July of 2010, the BCSO was contacted by Publix grocery stores in reference to the purchase of American Express gift cards with counterfeit checks by a white female and a white male.

Cashiers at the stores were alerted to the fact the purchases were being made with counterfeit checks.

One cashier became suspicious of a white female who tried to buy the gift cards with a check then changed her mind when the cashier wanted to certify the check before allowing the purchase.

The cashier followed the woman out into the parking lot and wrote down her car tag number.

The woman was identified as Margaret Tressa Morgan of Pensacola Beach.

On Friday, September 3, 2010, a search warrant was issued on Morgan’s residence at 30 Ensanada Marbella in Pensacola Beach.

Members of the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement assisted investigators at the Bay County Sheriff’s Office in serving the search warrant.

Found in Morgan’s home were numerous counterfeit checks and drivers licenses under different names.

It was also determined that Mathew Dunn, Morgan’s boyfriend who shared the home, was also involved.

It is now believed the couple was using counterfeit checks to purchase gift cards in the state of Georgia, as well as Florida and Alabama.

Dunn, DOB 11/27/71, and Morgan, DOB 3/29/68, were arrested in Escambia County and are now awaiting extradition to Bay County on charges of Uttering a Forged Instrument.

Additional charges are possible in Bay County and other Florida counties as well as Georgia and Alabama.