Woman accused of passing countless bad checks across central Nebraska — again
ST. PAUL, Neb. (KOLN) — A Grand Island woman is now charged in an additional three fraud-related cases after countless bad checks were passed around central Nebraska.
Authorities arrested 29-year-old Abigail Cronin on Tuesday and lodged her in the Buffalo County Jail. She has since been hit with felony charges across Hall, Valley and Howard counties.
The Grand Island Police Department was notified about a series of fraudulent checks that had been passed to a local bank on Dec. 6, 2024. Bank officials told officers Cronin had passed three checks worth $2,400 to open an account, but the checks were invalid.
Officers then discovered Cronin had done something similar at different banks in Grand Island and Kearney — trying to pass two checks worth a total of $9,000, police said. Court records show that the other bank in Grand Island had gotten one of those checks worth $1,000.
The bank told Cronin that the check would be put on hold because the account she tried depositing it into had been over drafted for 592 days. When she found that out, Cronin chose not to cash the check. But the bank took a closer look at that check and discovered it was linked to a different account that had been closed due to fraudulent activity, an arrest affidavit shows.
The police department tried meeting with Cronin, and she agreed to speak to officers with an attorney present on Dec. 22, 2024. She never showed up, according to court records.
Another report about Cronin’s alleged behavior came out of Ord in early March. An agriculture retailer told police Cronin had come into his shop on Feb. 24 to buy a generator worth $5,000. She showed up a few days later to pick it up and dropped off a check for $5,275.
But when the manager went to cash it, he found that the check’s accounting and routing numbers were invalid, court records show. An arrest warrant was filed for Cronin a short time after the report was made.
Cronin was eventually arrested after a report of bad checks came out of a dealership in St. Paul on March 7. An employee contacted police after Cronin stopped by the dealership on Feb. 28 to buy a truck and camper.
She wrote two checks worth a total of $113,550, police wrote, and handed them off before going home with a 2023 Ford F-250 and a 2022 Sprinter Travel Trailer. But like the manager in Ord, the dealership quickly found out the checks wouldn’t clear, according to the affidavit.
Employees tried cashing the checks for several days before getting in touch with Cronin. During that conversation, Cronin gave the dealership the name of an “agent” with her bank. They tried calling the agent, and Cronin’s phone rang at the same time. Police said she even stepped outside to take the call, raising suspicions at the dealership.
Despite that, Cronin came back to the dealership on March 5 to purchase a 2022 Ford Explorer. She explained to staff that the motor in one of her vehicle’s blew out and she needed a new vehicle. They agreed to a wire transfer worth $37,995, and Cronin again left with the vehicle.
The wire transfer never came, though, and the dealership finally contacted police. While authorities were taking statements, the dealership discovered Cronin was on her way there with a good cashier’s check.
She agreed to return the truck and SUV because she didn’t have the means to pay for them and planned to hand over the check. Authorities parked nearby the dealership and arrested Cronin a short time after her arrival.
Cronin now faces four felony counts of theft by deception, three felony counts of issuing a bad check and one felony count of second-degree forgery among three counties.
On top of the recent charges and accusations, Cronin had been charged in a slew of cases regarding fraudulent behavior spanning back to 2022.
In 2024, Cronin was charged after police said she fraudulently purchased two trucks in Minden using checks linked to her employer’s accounts. The checks were worth a total of $114,995. In addition, authorities think she passed a counterfeit check worth $255,717.60 to a business in Hall County in 2023.
By the time thefts were again being reported in December, Cronin had been charged in at least four other fraud-related cases. Authorities said she was also out on bond and on probation in at least two counties and is set to be sentenced in one case April 11.
The St. Paul Police Department also said Cronin may be involved in similar frauds in Buffalo and Kearney counties in the days leading up to her arrest.
Authorities encourage anyone who thinks they may be a victim of Cronin’s to contact their local law enforcement agency.
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