An Effingham, Ill., man has been charged for allegedly using fake documents and a bad check to purchase an RV from Blue Compass RV, 18155 Old Hwy. 66, in Eureka, according to court documents.
Nathan Schaefer, 32, who also has lived in Las Vegas, has been charged with identity theft, a class C felony punishable by three to 10 years in prison; forgery, a class D felony that carries a penalty of up to seven years in prison; and passing a bad check, a class E felony punishable by up to four years in prison, court records show.
According to the case’s probable-cause statement, Schaefer on Oct. 11 applied for a loan to purchase a 2025 Forest River RV Cherokee trailer for $39,444. He provided a Nevada driver’s license while trying to secure the loan, but his loan application was denied.
Schaefer then allegedly said his aunt would apply for the loan, and he provided a California driver’s license with a woman’s name on it and asked for the application to be mailed to her. The loan application was then approved, the report said.
Schaefer returned to the business on Oct. 14, and he provided a check made out for $1,190.68 as a down payment. However, the check was returned to the business because the checking account Schaefer used had been closed seven months earlier, according to the report.
On Nov. 18, a detective with the Hancock County Sheriff’s Office in Greenfield, Ind., called Eureka Police to inform them that the RV was located at an area campground. Hancock County deputies also provided a picture of Schaefer, who was at the campground, to the Eureka Police, the report said.
The Blue Compass RV general manager identified Schaefer as the man who purchased the RV after being shown the photograph, according to the report.
Also, the woman’s whose information was used to secure the loan told Eureka Police that she did not apply for the loan and driver’s license Schaefer allegedly used to secure the loan was fraudulent, the report said.