EVANSTON — An Evanston woman has been charged with five counts of felony forgery. Donnalisa Martinez, 43, was arrested in December 2024 after allegedly attempting to cash multiple stolen checks at Benedict’s Market in Mountain View. According to the Uinta County Sheriff’s Office, Martinez was arrested again on Sunday, Jan. 25, at the Cash Store in Fort Bridger.
According to the court affidavit dated Dec. 12, Martinez was identified by her distinctive tattoos on security camera footage on three separate occasions between September and October 2024.
The amounts Martinez allegedly tried to cash varied from $100 to $455. All of the checks were unpaid due to the invalidity of the accounts.
Martinez’s attempts to cash the checks this past fall uncovered two other alleged prior attempts in 2023 from a closed checking account belonging to her brother, who did not authorize her use of the account and recognized her handwriting.
“The handwriting and signature was [sic] nearly identical to the other alleged forged checks,” the affidavit states.
According to the affidavit, Martinez has an “extensive criminal history of arrests including drug abuse, theft, child abuse, battery, DUI, obstruction, probation violation, contempt of court, forgery, retail theft, [and] interference with officers with bodily injury.”
Martinez is currently out on bond awaiting a preliminary hearing scheduled for Feb. 6. If convicted, Martinez faces up to 50 years in prison and/or $50,000 in fines.
