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In June, investigators from the Westport Police Department were contacted by an employee at Toyota of Westport, who reported that the vendor who launders employee uniforms turned in a wallet that was found in a pair of pants that had been cleaned.
The wallet belonged to a former employee, Deshawn Sawyer, which contained two checks belonging to a Toyota customer. Police said that investigators learned that Sawyer had stolen the checks while working as a valet at the dealership. He would then provide them to a friend, Daishaun Murphy, who deposited them into his personal account.
Police said that the victim was contacted and reported that another check had been stolen from her and deposited at TD Bank, written out to Murphy, with “landscaping” noted in the memo for more than $750. The victim’s signature was forged on the check and Murphy was spotted on surveillance cameras making the transaction at the bank.
Warrants were issued for the two men, and on Aug. 28, Murphy was arrested at the Bridgeport Office of Probation. He was subsequently charged with individual counts of forgery and identity theft. He was remanded into custody in lieu of $15,000 bond.
That same day, Sawyer turned himself in at Westport Police Headquarters, where he was charged with identity theft and was released after posting $25,000 bond. Both men are scheduled to appear in court later this year.
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