Authorities Seek Fridley Woman on Forgery Charges

A nationwide warrant has been issued for a Fridley woman who prosecutors say stole checks out of mailboxes in Apple Valley and Eagan and tried to cash them for more than their face value.

Andrea Leigh Gunderson, 27, faces three felony charges—check forgery, identity theft and offering a forged check—in two criminal complaints in Dakota County District Court.

Police in Eagan and Apple Valley have been unable to locate Gunderson, whose criminal history includes an April conviction for check forgery in Ramsey County.

The maximum penalty on each of the three charges is five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

Apple Valley Allegations
In one case, an Apple Valley woman reported to police that her husband had written a check for $75 on Jan. 22 to pay a household bill. The check never arrived at its intended destination, but it had been cashed on Feb. 8 for $450 at the Apple Valley Walmart.

Apple Valley police examined surveillance video from the Apple Valley Walmart and posted a photo of the suspect on a three-county alert network. Three law enforcement officers identified her as Gunderson.

On March 8, Gunderson contacted Apple Valley police to find out why they were looking for her, according to the complaint. An officer told her he wanted to talk about a check being fraudulently cashed at Walmart and asked if she knew about it; Gunderson said she did, the complaint says, and said she would call back and make arrangements to meet and discuss the matter.

Eagan Case
An Eagan woman told Eagan police she wrote a check to Xcel Energy for $71.85 on Dec. 16 and put it with outgoing mail in her mailbox.

A week later, her bank told her someone identified as Amy Gunderson had tried to cash a check in St. Paul for $1,200.85. A bank employee told the alleged victim that the bank did not cash the check because it looked suspicious.

On Dec. 31, Eagan police received documents from the bank showing that multiple purchases totaling about $1,200 had been made using the victim’s account information at stores around the metro area on Dec. 23 and 24, according to the complaint.

Video Evidence
Police obtained surveillance video from Walmart and Kwik Trip in Eagan and a T.J. Maxx store in St. Paul, showing a woman authorities say is Gunderson allegedly completing transactions using the victim’s account information. In that case, Gunderson faces charges of identity theft and offering a forged check.