15 counts of fraud: 25-year-old Milwaukee man accused of running elaborate check scheme
MILWAUKEE -- A 25-year-old Milwaukee man faces 15 counts of fraud for allegedly running an elaborate check scheme.
Donald Kernan Jr.
The accused is Donald Kernan Jr. -- a man who did work with the campaign for Senator Lena Taylor (D-Milwaukee).
According to court documents, Kernan stole more than $70,000 from local banks ($72,995.34 in all, according to the criminal complaint).
Authorities say he deposited $40,000 in worthless checks into an account called "Dreamertopia Capital Management," and then withdrew some of the money right away -- $30,000 in cash.
He's then accused of writing 38 Dreamertopia checks (for a total of $247,012.92) to set up even more fake accounts.
Prosecutors say he used a debit card to spend $2,500 at high-end shoe stores, and another $11,000 at Potawatomi Hotel & Casino.
This all happened over the span of just a month-and-a-half.
The complaint says investigators continue to determine the full scope of Kernan's alleged fraudulent banking activities.
Senator Taylor's campaign has issued the following statement to FOX6 News:
“When we learned of the allegations against Mr. Kernan in early September we cut all ties with him. Mr. Kernan did not have a leadership role in Senator Taylor’s committee and did not have access to any campaign accounts. His primary function was part-time work organizing lists and conducting call time.”