Fake IDs Flagged by Bank ID Checker Lead to Two Sullivan County Cases

By Echo Menges

MILAN, Mo. — Two separate criminal cases filed in Sullivan County involve men accused of using fake Missouri identification cards at First Interstate Bank in Milan after bank employees allegedly used an ID checker that showed the cards were not real.

The cases are not listed as connected in court documents, but both involve alleged attempts to cash checks using Missouri non-driver identification cards later believed to be fake.

In one case, Jose E. Caballero Quintanilla, of Milan, is charged with one count of forgery, a class D felony, and one count of identity theft, a class B misdemeanor, in case No. 26SU-CR00069.

According to a probable cause statement filed by the Missouri State Highway Patrol, officers were contacted after a man allegedly attempted to cash a check at First Interstate Bank on April 27 using a Missouri ID card. A teller reportedly became suspicious and checked the card through the bank’s ID checker, which allegedly showed the ID was fake. The bank kept the card and the man left, according to court documents.

Court documents state the ID card used the name Joel Omar Vargas Lopez. Investigators later contacted several federal agencies while attempting to determine whether the identity was real. According to the probable cause statement, authorities could not confirm the person in the photo matched the identity on the card, and records stated there had been other cases involving the same information.

The probable cause statement identifies the defendant as Jose Elias Caballero Quintanilla from Honduras, but the public court documents do not explain how investigators identified the man accused in the case.

In a second case, Samuel Cavallero, also listed with a Milan address, is charged with one count of forgery, a class D felony, in case No. 26SU-CR00068.

According to court documents, bank employees contacted police after a man allegedly attempted to cash a check on April 17 using what they believed was a fake Missouri non-driver identification card. A teller reportedly checked the card through the bank’s ID checker, which allegedly showed the ID was fake. The man then left the bank, according to the probable cause statement.

Court records state the identification information on the card was not on file with the state. The probable cause statement identifies the defendant as Samuel Cavallero from Mexico, but the public court documents do not explain how investigators identified the man accused in the case.

Both men were issued $5,000 cash-only warrants signed by Judge Adam Warren on May 4.

All charges are allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.