Fraud veil cast over bridal boss
Ryan Collingwood Staff Writer | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 8 years, 4 months AGO
A Post Falls bridal store owner is facing a host of felony charges, including grand theft, forgery and fraud.
Misty Ceriello, 37, is accused of passing forged checks and making fraudulent credit card purchases totaling nearly $250,000. Ceriello, owner of Cameo Bridal, was arrested Tuesday before posting bond.
A civil lawsuit between Ceriello and a victim in the case was settled in April, however the criminal charges are still active.
A felony complaint and summons against Ceriello was issued Dec. 2, but since Ceriello couldn't be found for her summons, a warrant for her arrest was issued.
Ceriello's first court hearing is scheduled for Jan. 18.
Attempts to reach Ceriello for comment were unsuccessful. Her Post Falls bridal shop is currently closed.
According to a Post Falls Police report, an attorney contacted the department last February and reported Ceriello had stolen checks and credit cards belonging to a friend and former client.
The attorney alleged Ceriello took the personal checks from the victim's Phoenix home and wrote checks to herself, forging the victim's name and depositing them into a Mountain West Bank account in Post Falls. It also stated Ceriello obtained the victim's Wells Fargo credit card number.
The Phoenix Police Department was also contacted, the report said, but officers there suggested the victim file a report with Idaho authorities.
In April, the Post Falls detective working the case was contacted by the attorney to inform him a settlement had been reached in a civil matter.
"I was advised that (the victim) was no longer actively pursuing criminal charges against Misty but would still cooperate with my investigation," the detective said in the report. "I explained to (the attorney) that I would still be investigating the matter due to the nature of the case."
The fraudulent checks and writing samples from both Ceriello and the victim were submitted to the Washington State Patrol Crime lab for analysis. In its report, WSP noted it was "highly probable" the victim did not sign the checks but it was "highly probable" Ceriello did.
Among the items purchased with the victim’s checks and credit cards were multiple clothing items to be sold at Ceriello’s shop, and vehicle repairs at a local body shop.
Other customers of Ceriello's are also feeling robbed, including Dave Hopman and Keisha McEnaney of Post Falls, who paid $1,326 cash on a wedding dress.
According to Hopman, Ceriello told the couple the dress would be available in early November at the latest. When the dress didn't come, they were given the runaround.
"We made multiple attempts to contact her," Hopman said. "One time we went down there, the shop said (Ceriello) was having health issues, but when we finally caught up to her, she said she was too busy because they were moving locations."
When the couple contacted Casablanca, the dress distributor, Horton said the dress had yet to be paid for by Cameo Bridal.
"It definitely put a lot of stress on us," Hopman said. "Now we have to figure out how we're going to deal with it.
"I was shocked that this happened. This was a business that has been around Post Falls for around 10 years, and (Ceriello) is pretty much screwing people over."
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