JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A man was arrested Friday and accused of taking part in an organized scheme that used counterfeit checks to defraud banks and businesses across Jacksonville, according to a Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office arrest report.
Cy Nahum Williams, 41, of Orlando, was arrested July 24 on local warrants alleging scheme to defraud, money laundering, grand theft, bank fraud, identity theft and multiple counts of uttering a forged instrument, the report says. The warrants are tied to case No. 16-2026-AF-167880 and investigators asked that an extradition warrant be issued.
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The investigation began after a traffic stop Sept. 23, 2025, on Interstate 75 in Ocala, Florida, when troopers found counterfeit checks and deposit receipts in a vehicle occupied by Williams and a man identified in the report as Guy Antonio Haywood. Authorities seized both men’s cell phones and later obtained search warrants to examine the devices, the report says.
Detectives say phone extractions, GPS data and bank subpoenas linked Williams and Haywood to roughly 20 counterfeit-check deposits at local financial institutions between April and September 2025. The report lists 20 counterfeit checks totaling about $68,410; investigators say roughly $26,238.98 was successfully taken through cash withdrawals, electronic transfers or purchases.
Vystar Credit Union reported about $13,549.01 in losses and Community First Credit Union reported about $4,186.16 in losses, the report says.
Bank records and surveillance cited in the report show the counterfeit checks were deposited into accounts belonging to numerous individuals who were allegedly recruited to make the deposits.
Investigators said the scheme involved checks purporting to be drawn on accounts for several businesses, including Nicopat LLC, Collegiate Installation Services and Peterson Construction, among others.
Williams’ court hearing is set for Aug. 17.