MEMPHIS, Tenn.—Orion Federal Credit Union is dealing with losses from an elaborate fake-check scheme that police say was orchestrated by a repeat fraud offender, according to Action 5 News.
Authorities arrested 34-year-old Randall Meridith, charging him with felony property theft and felony forgery—each involving amounts between $60,000 and $250,000, Action 5 News reported. The case began in August 2023 when an Orion fraud investigator alerted Memphis police that a woman had deposited a $220,564.53 U.S. Treasury check later deemed “altered/fictitious.”
According to the affidavit cited by Action 5 News, the woman returned to two Orion branches two days after the deposit and drained the account through a mix of cashier’s checks, cash withdrawals, and Cash App transfers—moving a total of $219,150 in a single day. Orion ultimately stopped three of the four $50,000 cashier’s checks but still sustained losses of more than $68,000.
Surveillance footage helped investigators identify the woman, who later told police that Meridith—whom she knew through a family member—supplied the fraudulent check, instructed her on the transactions, and accompanied her to the credit union for part of the scheme.
Meridith is being held at the Shelby County Jail on a $110,000 bond. Action 5 News reported he has a long history of fraud-related indictments, including a 2016 conviction for identity theft that resulted in a two-year jail sentence.