Pair pleads not guilty to fraud charges
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REXBURG — Two people from Idaho Falls have pleaded not guilty to more than 10 felony fraud charges in Madison County.
Peggy A. Rodriguez, 40, and her co-defendant, Nicolas C. Rodriguez, 36, were arrested in March by police while Peggy Rodriguez was attempting to cash a forged check. Rexburg police say they were contacted by Quick Cash on the 200 block of East Second North on March 17 in reference to a customer attempting to fraudulently cash a check.
Peggy Rodriguez was originally charged with felony theft by deception. Nicolas Rodriguez was charged with felony forgery.
Peggy Rodriguez told officers she was high on meth, and court records show she also admitted to being involved with a group of people who defraud cash loan stores and share the profits.
Madison County Prosecutor Sid Brown later filed an amended criminal complaint against Peggy Rodriguez adding nine more charges. Those nine felonies were for possession of forged checks.
Court documents indicate Peggy Rodriguez is being investigated in Idaho Falls, Blackfoot and Pocatello for similar crimes of fraud.
This isn’t her first run-in with the law. In Bonneville County she has faced more than 15 felonies, and was found guilty of six, all of which are related to theft and fraud. Rodriguez also has several other felony convictions in surrounding counties.
In June of last year Peggy Rodriguez was sentenced on felony charges of forgery and possession of a counterfeiting apparatus. She was sentenced to a suspended term of eight years in prison and ordered to pay restitution to 10 separate victims.
She has been on felony probation for nine months and supervised in Idaho Falls.
Both Peggy and Nicolas Rodriguez pleaded not guilty to all the charges against them this month, and both will stand trial separately in late August.
Each forgery charge carries a minimum of one year and a maximum of seven years in prison. Possession of forged checks carries a minimum of one year and a maximum of 14 years.
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