Checks meant for a foundation, the Moore County Tax Department and a landscaping company were allegedly rewritten to make Tyrone Livingston the payee, according to North Carolina arrest warrants tied to a mail-theft investigation in Pinehurst.
Residents of the village told police that checks they had left in their mailboxes were missing. Detectives used banking records, surveillance footage and identification information to connect Livingston, 63, of Columbia, South Carolina, to seven reported incidents, the Pinehurst Police Department said.
Livingston was arrested Sept. 30, 2026, and an additional warrant was served Oct. 6. Four North Carolina criminal cases now contain 11 felony counts involving altered checks, including forgery, passing forged instruments and obtaining or attempting to obtain money by false pretenses.
The court records describe both allegedly completed payments and an attempted transaction. A separate filing on Oct. 8 also introduced a forgery allegation from South Carolina, without establishing that it involves any of the same checks.
A $500 Foundation Check Was Rewritten for $1,400
A July 28 check drawn on the account of Accel Innovation Corporation (AIC), LLC, was originally payable to CJ3 Foundation for $500. The September 9 warrant alleges that both the recipient and amount were changed, making it a $1,400 check payable to Livingston. Investigators accused him of presenting and negotiating it through JPMorgan Chase Bank and obtaining $1,400 belonging to the company.
Another July 28 payment was originally written to the Moore County Tax Department for $2,480.18. The September 18 warrant describes a Truist check altered to make Livingston the recipient for $2,480.03, a reduction of 15 cents. Its false-pretenses count alleges that he obtained the altered amount.
A third check, originally payable to Carter Landscaping for $775, allegedly became a $1,775 payment to Livingston. The October 5 warrant dates the transaction to Aug. 14 and accuses him of presenting the altered Truist check as genuine. The warrant was issued after his initial arrest and served on Oct. 6.
Those three warrants allege $5,655.03 in completed payments, separate from the attempted transaction.
A Fourth Check Was Altered for a Smaller, Attempted Payment
One of the warrants describes a different result. A First Bank check originally issued for $3,895.01 was allegedly changed to list Livingston as the payee for $1,150.01. The September 8 warrant identifies the suspected transaction as occurring on Aug. 21.
That document alleges attempted obtaining property by false pretenses and attempted uttering of a forged instrument. Unlike the other three false-pretenses counts, this case does not accuse Livingston of successfully receiving the altered amount.
Detectives Linked Seven Reported Incidents Through Financial Records
The Pinehurst Police Department said investigators obtained multiple search warrants for financial and transaction evidence as they examined complaints from different households. Moore County court registers separately link search-warrant proceedings to each of the four criminal cases described above.
Jason Caulder of the Pinehurst Police Department is named as the complainant on all four arrest warrants. Police Chief Glen Webb praised the department’s work and said in its announcement that the investigation remains active and additional charges are expected. The four warrants identify four specific transactions; the police announcement covers seven reported incidents.
Eleven North Carolina Felony Counts Span Four Warrants
Three warrants issued in September and served on Sept. 30 account for eight counts. A fourth warrant issued Oct. 5 and served the following day adds three more. Together, they allege three completed offenses of obtaining property by false pretenses, one attempted false-pretenses offense, three counts of forgery, three counts of uttering forged instruments and one count of attempted uttering.
Under North Carolina Section 14-119, forging or counterfeiting a qualifying financial instrument with intent to defraud is a Class I felony. Section 14-120 separately addresses knowingly passing or attempting to pass such instruments. The false-pretenses allegations fall under Section 14-100, which covers obtaining or attempting to obtain money or property through fraudulent representations.
The Moore County registers classify the four criminal cases as pending. They also show that Livingston received appointed counsel and that his attorney sought discovery. The allegations remain unresolved, and he is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
South Carolina Forgery Allegation Led to a Separate Fugitive Order
On Oct. 8, a North Carolina magistrate issued a fugitive order in a fifth Moore County case, 26CR425763-620. The document identifies South Carolina’s Richland County as the demanding jurisdiction and describes its underlying allegation as forgery involving a value of less than $10,000. It names Moore County Sheriff’s Office Officer Christy Brown as the arresting officer.
The order records a probable-cause finding for detention in the extradition matter, not a conviction on the South Carolina allegation. The supplied papers do not include the underlying Richland County charging document or establish whether that case concerns any of the Pinehurst checks.
Detention Record Lists 12 Entries and $75,000 in Secured Bonds
The Moore County Detention Center record captured Oct. 13 lists 12 charge entries: the 11 offenses in the North Carolina check cases plus the separate fugitive entry. It shows a $50,000 secured bond covering the initial group of warrants, $15,000 for the Oct. 5 check case and $10,000 for the fugitive case. The corresponding release orders support a combined $75,000 in secured bonds. The three September cases have disposition hearings listed for Oct. 19 at 9:30 a.m.; the fugitive order also gives Oct. 19 as its court date.
What to Check When an Outgoing Check Goes Missing
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service calls fraudulent changes to check payees or amounts check washing. Some schemes use chemicals, while others involve copying or reproducing checks. Neither Pinehurst police nor the warrants specify the equipment or technique allegedly used here. Postal inspectors recommend taking outgoing checks to a post office or using official collection boxes before the last daily pickup rather than leaving them in an unsecured mailbox overnight.
If a payment is missing, USPS guidance says to contact the bank immediately. For a check that has cleared, request copies of the front and back, compare the payee and endorsement with the original payment, notify the intended recipient and work with the bank to investigate. Mail theft can be reported to the Postal Inspection Service or by calling 1-877-876-2455. Pinehurst police can be reached at 910-295-3141 by anyone with information about the local investigation.