A Norwich man accused of producing thousands of dollars in fake checks from municipal and state agencies and recruiting people to deposit them into their bank accounts was arraigned Monday in New London Superior Court.

Herrick Louis, 30, of 8 Beach Drive was charged by state police on July 6 with conspiracy to commit first-degree larceny. Norwich police charged him the same day with conspiracy to commit first-degree larceny and conspiracy to commit first-degree forgery. Wallingford police lodged similar charges against him on that day, according to court records.

Louis is free on surety bonds totaling $100,000 and has not yet hired an attorney. Judge Hillary B. Strackbein continued the case to Sept. 20.

According to an arrest warrant affidavit written by state police Detective John Jette, Citizens Bank notified Mohegan Tribal Police in May 2014 that two fraudulent State of Connecticut unemployment compensation checks totaling $3,212 had been deposited into the automated teller machine outside the casino's employee center on Sandy Desert Road. 

The account holder, identified as Witness 1 in the affidavit, told a tribal detective he had been approached on East Main Street in Norwich by Louis, whom he knew as "Price," who told him he would split the money with him if he deposited the checks. The witness said when he asked if the checks were legitimate; Louis said they were from the City of Norwich and he knew somebody who worked there.

Bank officials spotted the fraudulent checks and did not credit the man's account.

In an separate warrant affidavit written by Norwich police officer Chris Hawrylik, Louis is accused of producing fraudulent City of Norwich checks totaling more than $2,400. City treasurer Brian Curtin reported that Bank of America had notified him of a number of suspicious checks used to withdraw money form the city's general fund.

Witnesses told police that Louis would convince people to let him use their ATM cards or send him pictures of their payroll checks and would use a computer to produce the fake checks.  

Louis allegedly conspired with Peter Succes, Ricardo Jeanty and Katriona Belaire, who cashed fraudulent checks at Wal-Mart stores in Lisbon and Norwich, according to the affidavit.

In addition to the financial crimes, Louis is charged with second-degree breach of peace, first-degree criminal trespass and second-degree threatening in a separate pending court matter that was headed to trial in Superior Court in Norwich before he was arrested on the new charges. He posted a $75,000 surety bond in that case.

k.florin@theday.com