Guilty as CHARGED?

When Casey Anthony’s friend, Amy Huizenga, went on vacation last year she loaned Casey her car. When she returned, she learned her checks were missing from the car. Soon after, she found out her bank account was cleaned out and her balance was zero. Casey was charged with check fraud soon after her daughter was reported missing and now prosecutors want that case to go to trial within the next two months.

Casey is charged with more than a dozen fraud charges. Those include fraudulent use of personal identification, forgery of a check (1) and uttering a forged check (2). Authorites say that Casey used her former friend’s checks to purchase more than $400 worth of clothes and groceries at Target and Winn-Dixie stores around the area where she lived. She also withdrew $250 in cash from Amy’s bank and tried to pay a $574 phone bill, but at that point there wasn’t enough money in the account to pay the bill.

Recently, Linda Kenney Baden said the murder trial probably won’t start until June of next year and prosecutors don’t want to wait that long to resolve the fraud case. Assistant State Attorney Frank George said, “Given the complexities of the two cases, it is unreasonable to allow the forgery case to languish another year without a resolution.”

No date for the fraud charges has been set yet and Orange Circuit Court Judge Stan Strickland has not yet responded to the request.

Also, prosecutors want a picture of Anthony’s tattoo  of the words “Bella Vita,” which is Italian for “Beautiful Life.” She got the tattoo about two weeks after Caylee disappeared. Assistant State Attorney Frank George said a picture of the tattoo “would be relevant and material in evaluating issues to be presented in connection with the upcoming trial.”

The first-degree murder charge was filed separately.

(1) 831.01  Forgery.–Whoever falsely makes, alters, forges or counterfeits a public record, or a certificate, return or attestation of any clerk or register of a court, public register, notary public, town clerk or any public officer, in relation to a matter wherein such certificate, return or attestation may be received as a legal proof; or a charter, deed, will, testament, bond, or writing obligatory, letter of attorney, policy of insurance, bill of lading, bill of exchange or promissory note, or an order, acquittance, or discharge for money or other property, or an acceptance of a bill of exchange or promissory note for the payment of money, or any receipt for money, goods or other property, or any passage ticket, pass or other evidence of transportation issued by a common carrier, with intent to injure or defraud any person, shall be guilty of a felony of the third degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.084.

(2) 831.09  Uttering forged bills, checks, drafts, or notes.–Whoever utters or passes or tenders in payment as true, any such false, altered, forged, or counterfeit note, or any bank bill, check, draft, or promissory note, payable to the bearer thereof or to the order of any person, issued as aforesaid, knowing the same to be false, altered, forged, or counterfeit, with intent to injure or defraud any person, commits a felony of the third degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.084.