Olympia couple accused of fraudulently cashing $10,000 health department check
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- An Olympia couple were charged with forgery and second-degree theft.
- A health department accountant reported a $10,000 check was washed and cashed.
- Investigators say the $10,000 was mobile-deposited and moved through accounts.
An Olympia couple are accused of fraudulently cashing a $10,000 check from the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department, according to court records.
Prosecutors charged 43-year-old Meleane L. Balabagno and 50-year-old Gerryleo T. Balabagno with forgery and second-degree theft in Pierce County Superior Court.
The husband and wife pleaded not guilty at arraignment on April 13, per procedure. The court ordered them released on their own recognizance. Their defense attorneys did not immediately respond to The Olympian’s request for comment Wednesday.
Police reports attached to charging documents allege the following:
A health department accountant reported to Tacoma police in February 2024 that the agency had sent a $10,000 check to an Olympia business for its services, and the business never received it. The accountant investigated and learned that the check had been washed and cashed. It was allegedly cashed in Gerry Balabagno’s name. His address was allegedly an old address for the business, according to the police report.
Records allegedly showed that the $10,000 was deposited via mobile deposit into Gerry Balabagno’s account.
When investigators asked him about that, he allegedly said he didn’t know anything about a $10,000 check, that his wife handled their accounts, and that he worked for the state Department of Health. A state DOH spokesperson did not immediately respond Wednesday to The Olympian’s questions about whether Balabagno works for the agency and about his position.
His wife allegedly told police that she didn’t remember the check.
Investigators allegedly found various transfers between different accounts linked to the couple, and ultimately got warrants for records of both of their Cash App accounts.
“Both accounts had multiple transactions back and forth and purchases made elsewhere,” the police report said. “It appears that of the $10,000.00 in stolen funds, the money was spent at a variety of businesses and some large cash withdrawals.”
It’s not immediately clear why charges were filed about two years after police learned of the threat. A spokesperson for the Pierce County Prosecutor’s Office said the deputy prosecutor who handled the case wasn’t immediately available Wednesday.
