Casey Anthony Charged With Grand Theft

September 12, 2008


ORLANDO -- New formal charges were added Wednesday against the mother of missing toddler Caylee Anthony.

Casey Anthony is now facing 10 charges connected to check fraud, not to the disappearance of her daughter. The check fraud charges stem from incidents in July in which police said Casey was caught stealing checks from a friend. However, the new charges do not mean Casey will be rearrested. She has already posted bond on the initial charges.

The latest charges include grand theft, fraudulent use of personal identification, forgery of a check, uttering a forged check and petty theft. All of the charges are felonies and could bring significant jail time.

A representative of the Orange County Sheriff's office told News 13 that they are continuing with their investigation into what happened to Caylee Anthony, 3.

The representative also said they had videos of Casey using the stolen and forged checks, but the videos might not be released to the public because they could be used to help establish a timeline in Caylee's disappearance.

Investigators said Casey Anthony wrote the first check on July 8 out of her friend, Amy Huizenga's, account. The check was written for $111.01

Investigators said Casey then forged a check using Huizenga's identification on July 10 at the Target on North Goldenrod Road. That check was in the amount of $137.77

A third check, according to investigators, was also forged on July 10 at another Target store, this one on North Alafaya Trail. That check totaled $155.47.

When all three checks are added together, they total more than $300, which allowed investigators to charge Casey Anthony with grand theft, a third degree felony in the state of Florida.

It is still unclear when Casey will go to trial on the check fraud charges, but because of all publicity this case has generated, there is still some speculation that there may be a change of venue.

Florida A&M University College of Law professor Kenneth Nunn says courts prefer not to take that step. "Because of the expense, because of the delay, we find courts usually are reluctant to do more than to ask more searching questions of jurors," Nunn told News 13.


The new information did not appear to disrupt Casey Anthony's schedule Thursday. Just after 10 a.m. her brother, Lee Anthony, picked Casey up and took her to the Kissimmee office of her lawyer, Jose Baez. They met for five hours.


Although some people say the marathon meetings are to ward off any tension at the Anthony home, Nunn said it is more likely Baez is preparing for the now upcoming trial and any future charges that could be coming his client's way.


"You're relying on your client to tell you what happened and even if your client wasn't there at the scene of the crime, your client needs to tell you where they were, who they saw, etc, etc.," Nunn said.