"If i could've got my hands on one of them I probably would have tried to choke em," said Buckingham in regards to his waiting time.
Nine months ago his monthly pension check from the state was stolen and Albert was out more than $1,500. It turns out the theif cashed the check last June. On a copy of the check obtained by Eyewitness News the signature on the back from whoever cashed the check misspelled Albert's name, an obvious forgery.
"I don't know what bank or what bank teller would cash a check like that and hold a job," says Buckingham.
The back of the check says it was cashed at a Chase bank.
A bank rep wouldn't explain how or why they cashed it. He did say you either have to have a chase check or be a Chase customer to cash checks at their branches.
That's when we stepped in. So Seven on your Side called the state who pressured the bank and and finally, the full amount was deposited into his account.
New Jersey's Department of the Treasury told us typically fraud cases can take from six to twelve months to resolve.
Chase says they're still investigating it. The moral to the story? Always opt for direct deposit of checks to avoid getting checks stolen from the mail.
