Passing Attempt Fumbled - Woman Arrested in Bad Check Scheme

A woman was arrested Wednesday, July 25, on suspicion of attempting to pass a bad check at the Laguna Beach Post Office in the downtown village.

Carmela Marie Corral, 24, of Long Beach, was taken into custody on suspicion of burglary and insufficient funds. According to Lt. Jason Kravetz of the Laguna Beach Police Department, Corral entered the post office at 11:47 a.m. and allegedly tried to purchase $360 worth of stamps by using a check. The clerk called the bank to verify the check, and learned Corral only had $25 in the account.

Officers said they later discovered this was part of a larger ring of people who go around to post offices passing bad checks. They purchase stamps with the bad checks and then sell the stamps to businesses at a discounted rate, according to Kravetz.

Corral had been driven to the post office to buy the stamps. Her driver apparently left her behind when officers arrived at the scene, authorities said.