Chase Bank Reportedly Has Man Jailed Over Check They Issued Him (VIDEO)

Last June, 28-year-old Ikenna Njoku of Auburn, Washington was reportedly imprisoned for four days after trying to cash a Chase check the bank itself had issued to him.

Mr. Njoku, who at the time claims he had become a new homeowner, qualified for the first-time home buyer rebate on his tax return, for a total of $8,463.21 after overdraft fees, reports King 5 Seattle.

When Chase mailed him the check, he says that he sought to cash it as quickly as possible. But when he arrived at the Chase bank, the banker allegedly thought the check, and his claim that he owned a home, were fraudulent.

"I was embarrassed," Njoku told King 5. "She asked me what I did for a living. Asked me where I got the check from, looked me up and down -- like 'you just bought a house in Auburn, really?' She didn't believe that."

According to Mr. Njoku, he left the bank and was told by customer service that he should come back the next morning. When he did, the bank had phoned the police, who subsequently arrested him for forgery.

Njoku remained in jail for four days. When the bank realized it had made a mistake, they left a voicemail message with the detective handling the case, but unfortunately for Mr. Njoku, it was the detective's day off. No further attempts were made by the bank to correct the error, the local police department confirmed to King 5.

The check that had landed him in prison was reportedly seized as evidence and he lost his job for failing to show up while in prison.

"They [Chase] haven't even sent me a letter or apologized," he said. "It's been a year we've been trying to contact these guys." He has since hired an attorney.

Mr. Njoku is not the first individual who has been imprisoned for what has arguably been a bank's mistake. In June of this year, KCAL 9 reported that Laguna Beach resident Stephen McDow had been arrested for spending $60,000 of a $110,000 tax refund that Citibank had mistakenly deposited in his account.

Watch full King 5 report here:

Comments

[marsha James]

01:28 PM on 07/13/2011

The article didn't mention that he also lost his car after it was towed from outside the bank. After that the car was sold at auction. So thanks to their idiocy, he lost his money, freedom, job and car.

[aralesm]

03:04 PM on 07/12/2011

I'm confused as to why the bank hasn't responded. The article states that the check was held as evidence by the police. So, not only did this man lose his job, he also has not received the proceeds of the check. How convenient for Chase Bank. I hope he does sue them for the obvious racism, the loss of his job and the inconvenience and embarrassment of spending four days in jail.

[collettethehedgehog]

04:55 AM on 07/12/2011

Didn't we fight a revolution so this kind of thing couldnt be done to us?

[AMERIKA]

08:17 PM on 07/11/2011

so let me count the ways he will cash in...
First bring suit against the bank and the police for wrongful arrest and imprisonment
Then sue them for pain and suffering
Loss of wages
Emotional distress

Then write a book and sell the movie rights.

[Grouchy Larry]

07:25 PM on 07/11/2011

Hmmmm... with this as a precedent, we can jail most of our various governmental officials on suspicion of, ahhh, something, and stop their heinous activity. At least for four days at a time.

[Grouchy Larry]

06:31 PM on 07/11/2011

Arrested on suspicion with no evidence. Sounds like law enforcement has a problem here too. But to a larger point, if this is the trend...

I've seen lots of people I suspect of various crimes, including treason, and none of them are spending any time in jail. With this new tactic we can rid Washington of quite a few suspected felons, at least for four days at a time.

[Grouchy Larry]

07:31 PM on 07/11/2011

Extremely long lag time, led to similar repost.

[Donald Tepper]

05:29 PM on 07/11/2011

Admittedly, an unfortunate series of incidents. Chase should make him whole. But let me play devil's advocate.

You're the teller, A guy walks in and wants to cash a big check. Anyone trying to cash a check for over $8,500 is unusual. You check your records. The guy doesn't have an active account. Worse, it was closed because he bounced too many checks. Your see that when the account was closed, he owed Chase over $600. Red flag.

If they asked him where the money came from, he probably answered something like: "It's the government homebuyer's tax refund." The teller thinks: "Rebate checks come from the government, not Chase." Another red flag.

She reasonably asks for his ID. While the teller is in the back, the guy leaves. Most people waiting for $8,500 would wait. But leaving would be expected from an exposed con artist. Another red flag.

By now, the bank (which I'm guessing hasn't received confirmation from Chase headquarters that the guy is legit) is suspicious enough to call the police. The police stake out the branch in case the guy returns the next day. The guy returns and the police get him.

The point is that there probably were enough red flags to justify that branch contacting the police and then following police instructions. I hope Chase does make the guy whole and compensate him for what they put him through. Still, their suspicions were reasonable.

[mikec6666]

06:51 PM on 07/11/2011

Yup, and he's black and has an African name. Must be guilty. Can't check with Chase about the check, since that's the same company and all. She asked him to return in the morning, which he did. C'mon man. Admit it, you are a stone cold racist, dude.

[Donald Tepper]

07:40 PM on 07/11/2011

Sorry, but I'm not. I'm limited to 250 words, so I had to edit out a blunt statement that I'm not racist. Look: I'm a middle-aged white guy. I've been banking at the same bank for decades. When I make a deposit, then want maybe $100 back (with enough in my account to cover it, plus a credit line on top of that), I'm asked for my ID. It's dumb, but that's the way they work it. A couple times I've gone into banks where I don't have an account and tried to cash Traveler's Checks. Supposed to be good anywhere, right? No way. The banks have outright refused to cash them because I'm not a customer. I can't imagine how they'd react if I tried to cash an $8,500 check.

As for your apparent assumption that it should be easy for Chase to verify the validity of a check, have you ever tried to call any major bank or credit card company and get a quick straight answer to ANY question? You can't.

Chase (along with BofA and some other mortgage companies) can take 6-12 months to approve or disapprove a short sale. They're not built for speed. Look: It's easy to blame what happened to the guy on race. But the issues are a lot more complex. And some of the problems go WAY beyond race. Lots of folks of all colors,l nationalities, and backgrounds, are being treated like dirt. It's not just about race.

[AMERIKA]

08:19 PM on 07/11/2011

sorry, nothing justifies wrongful arrest....if she was confused about his status, she could have said, I need more data...please come back tomorrow...

[roald]

09:58 PM on 07/11/2011

Which she did and he did and then got arrested.

[LJIESQ]

05:28 PM on 07/11/2011

First thing we do when I become Emperor is kill all the bankers, then the wall streeters, then the insurance thieves, and then eliminate excessive corporate bonuses.

[rfisherman1965]

07:30 PM on 07/11/2011

Then we become Mexico......you are not too bright.

[Northern Observer]

09:44 AM on 07/12/2011

Mexico has an emperor? You learn something new every day.

[LJIESQ]

05:07 PM on 07/12/2011

You might want to have that nasty head injury checked out. I hold 2 doctorate degrees, I'm a multi-millionaire, and I live in a Blue State. So, you only missed the mark by about 4 light years.

[Vivicca Whitsett]

04:59 PM on 07/11/2011

I hope he hires a fantastic attorney to sue Chase and name the racist employee who put him there. WTF?!?

[rfisherman1965]

07:31 PM on 07/11/2011

I just heard that Jose Baez is taking the job....

[joe kim]

04:41 PM on 07/11/2011

racism... sad

[amaboss52]

04:30 PM on 07/11/2011

I hope he sues the carp out them, Chase Bank is incompetent.

[Tierce]

03:32 PM on 07/11/2011

Profiling is in the training manuals. It is also in just about every day living. It has become a norm in our society along with the Patriot Act that will always be with us in one form or another.

[j s w]

02:23 PM on 07/11/2011

How is the man's release contingent only on that police officer?

Doesn't due process dictate somebody else be able to handle this in the absence of this individual?

[mikec6666]

06:51 PM on 07/11/2011

Sadly, no.

[j s w]

02:22 PM on 07/11/2011

Could a lawyer weigh in on whether or not this would make a good libel case?

It seems like the bank should be financially liable for the damage they caused to his reputation through false accusations. At least to cover the loss of his job.

[warmonkey]

12:57 PM on 07/11/2011

I am not understanding why CHASE issued a check for the 8000$ homebuyers rebate. I got my 8000 in the form of a tax credit- the check was from the IRS- NOT wells fargo- who financed the mortgage. Why did chase send him a check?

[Hoolai]

01:17 PM on 07/11/2011

Because his bank account was closed after he filed his taxes. The IRS deposited the money, and the bank mailed him a check because there was no account to put it in.

[warmonkey]

03:16 PM on 07/11/2011

ok- that makes sense. thanks!

[laaambchop]

05:58 PM on 07/12/2011

How come they didn't keep the $600 he owed them for fees?