Opinion ID: 2560385
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Sampson

Text: According to Sampson, about a week prior to the PCU deposit, Kizekai asked her if she would assist him in cashing a personal check that he had received for a construction job. Allegedly, Kizekai was in a bind because he did not have a checking account in which he could cash the check; and, because the check was from a personal account, he could not cash the check at a check-cashing business either. Sampson testified that she agreed to help Kizekai; and, on December 19, 2006, she drove her mother's car to meet him in the parking lot of the PCU's Broadway branch. Sampson recalled that she exited her vehicle, sat in the passenger's seat of Kizekai's car, and then the pair drove to the PCU's drive-through teller's window. She testified that when Kizekai handed her the check, it already was made out in her name and endorsed with her signature on the back. According to Sampson, she supplied her driver's license, and then the two items were given to the teller. The teller completed the deposit and presented Sampson with a receipt indicating that the funds would not post to her account immediately. Sampson recalled that she gave this form to Kizekai and also told him her account password so he could check the balance by phone. Sampson testified that approximately two days after the PCU transaction, Kizekai called to tell her that the deposit had posted in part and that some funds were ready for withdrawal. Sampson recalled that in response to Kizekai's request, on December 21, 2006, she withdrew $4,700 in cash from her PCU account, met Kizekai at her home, and gave him the entire amount. She explained that she did not return to the PCU to withdraw the remaining $2,800 because, within a week, PCU informed her that she had deposited a bad check and would have to repay the amount she had withdrawn. When Sampson allegedly called Kizekai to question him about the check, he told her that there must have been a mistake because the check was legitimate. Sampson testified that soon after this exchange with Kizekai, she learned that the Pawtucket police wanted to speak with her. She immediately met with the police and provided them with her statement of the events. Sampson testified that she attempted to contact Kizekai on at least two other occasions, but his phone numbers were disconnected. Sampson also avowed that when she saw Kizekai at a pretrial proceeding related to this matter, he told her that she should have kept [her] mouth shut and just took the charge, but that he was going to beat the case anyway. On cross-examination Sampson admitted that her PCU account contained only $9.18 prior to the $7,500 deposit in December 2006. And, although there were various withdrawals from the account (some of which Sampson disputed) after the December 2006 deposit, Sampson acknowledged that her account statement did not reflect any additional credits. However, Sampson denied that she and defendant agreed to deposit a bad check, and she denied receiving any money from the check. 2