Hey guys, and welcome to today's video. Today we have a really great video from Judge O'Donnell's courtroom where we have a check scammer who refuses to take accountability by telling the truth and a judge who makes him pay for it with one of the best endings to a court video I've covered yet. So, let's begin.
Thank you, your honor. May I please the court? Uh, I'm going to be brief.
I know we had discussions in chambers. Uh, you know, Mr Bzowski has a very long record. Um uh he's he's not proud of it.
I've had numerous conversations with him over the past couple months. Um he stood up, took responsibility for this case early on. Um he uh is here today uh to beg the court.
he's here hat in hand for the court to consider giving him an opportunity at community control uh and possibly chance to go back into a treatment. There is a bed waiting for him at the Matt Talbot Center in uh the Cleveland area. uh uh while this case has been going on separately, there's been cases out of Kyhoga County that he's pled to uh and through through those cases he was referred to the Matt Talbot Center and then he's been in our county jail.
So, he hasn't started his his treatment there. But your honor, uh, he he's got a history of of of of various offenses, but but specifically here with with forging checks, cashing them for the money. He he was doing it in this case.
He was doing it in Coyote County. Uh, Mr uh, Brazesi has a drug problem. Uh I know he told probation in this case that for for this matter he used the money to buy and earn uh your honor but but he also in the past has used money to purchase drugs.
Uh I'm asking the court these are are nonviolent offenses. Uh he is remorseful. Uh again he's taken responsibility.
I'm asking the court to please consider placing him on a community control sanction, giving him an opportunity to go to Matt Talbot and put the ball in his court, your honor. If he doesn't follow through, and I again, I know his history isn't promising. I know he's he's had probation violations in the past, but if he doesn't follow through, then he knows that he's got up to two years hanging over his head here.
So, so, uh, I'm asking this court to give him an opportunity to show this court that he is serious this time, that he wants to turn his life around and and hopefully sober up. Thank you, your honor. So, we have a repeat offender who's been given second chances repeatedly, asking for another second chance.
Now, all he has to do is just tell the truth, admit responsibility, and beg the court for leniency. Except he does the exact opposite. All right, Mr Bzowski, what do you want to tell me?
Your honor, I just um like Mr Watson said, I ain't proud of my record. Um I've been struggling my whole life with a with a drug addiction. Um, I've been uh I've been on, you know, just uh placed in situations that I I had some some control over and made terrible decisions.
Um, I've been I was also placed in situations I had no control over and made and made good decisions. Um, and this one is uh is just another opportunity. Uh, your honor, I'd like to show you that I can be probationable and I I can be monitored.
Um, I can succeed and I will and I can sober up. Um, then why then why haven't you? If you can do all that, why haven't you done it?
I still been hanging on to to wreckage of my past in which I've made an attempt and actually I' I've cut two people out of my life since I've been in this this county. They actually in Kyogre also I haven't contacted the woman I was involved with. I haven't contacted her.
Who's that? That was Lori Wood. How did you get involved in this scam with these uh checks?
Um I'm gonna be honest with you. Um, you know, I found a bag on a job site with with a checkbook in it. Um, what job site?
It was, um, I forget where I was at. Um, I think it was like in Middberg Heights or somewhere, Wickliffe or some. It was a commercial.
It was a commercial job site. Who were you working for? I was working for uh uh Novax at the time.
What's Novax? It's a painting company. um the uh the union that I was laid I was laid off because of actually because of my drug my drug problem.
So you're working with this job site in where did you say Fairview? I believe I believe it was Wickliff I think. I'm not sure.
Didn't you say I I found a bag. I found a a duffel bag, you know, backpack. Didn't you say it first time?
Excuse me. Didn't you say Fairview the first time? No.
I I believe you said Middberg Heights. Littleberg Heights and then now it's Wickliffe. I'm I'm not sure where it was.
Yeah. Okay. So, what did you find?
I found a duck back backpack with checkbook in it. And then I I I the job site was empty cuz we're the last ones on the on the job. So, it was basically just in a pile of of sweaters and and jackets.
So, I kept it I kept it backpacked. I kept it in the in the vehicle for a while. I probably sat on a couple months and uh rumaging through through my stuff.
I found it and uh basically I was you know at that time using um I had been released from uh from jail I believe. So and I went back to the woman I told you about to that house. To what house?
To my address that I have. Right. And this this this like I said I haven't made no attempts.
So So you I was talked I got talked into to signing the check the checks and I didn't I didn't realize the severity of the situation. Oh yeah. Come on.
I thought it would go against you got in enough trouble for drugs and thieving that you knew exactly what the hell was going on. I didn't realize the felony, the severity of the felony, the offense. I thought, like I said, I thought it was going to go against my collection or credit report.
Oh, so you only tried to defraud someone else out of their money because you thought it would only hit your credit report and not result in criminal charges. Got it. I wasn't that smart to to know that I was committing to.
So So you're either in Middberg Heights or Wikliffe and you find this duffel bag full of checks of a company that's in Willoughby, right? I don't know where the company's at. I I can't even remember what check what it was.
So And then the duffel bag sat in a car for a while. Yeah. Months.
And a month or so. And then you decide to to do what? To take one of these checks.
What did you do? Yeah, I took one of the checks and and signed it and made a withdrawal. Sign what?
Signed. What do you mean you signed it? It was a blank check, right?
I put my name on it. Sign signed it to me. So you signed it, paid to the order of you, filled in 2,000 bucks.
And then what' you do? Sign the bottom of the check then? Yeah, I believe so.
And this is so long ago. I It's You know who's Dusty Maze? I have no idea.
Where's Ace Cash Express? I'm not sure. It's a check cash in place, I'm sure of.
Nonetheless, it was it was it was foolish. Your honor, who's Constance Wagner? I believe that was probably another check I wrote.
Okay. Well, who's Constance Wagner? I have no idea.
Why did you make out a check to Constance Wagner? I was using the money to get drugs. I know.
Why Constance Wagner? I'm not sure. Why did you make a check out the dusty maze?
I'm not sure yet. Okay. Why don't you have a discussion with him and he can decide if he wants to keep lying to me?
I mean, I don't know. Or or if he wants to be straight with me. Okay.
Understood, right? Yeah. This is definitely not the judge you should be trying to lie to.
So, they step away momentarily where the lawyer and his client have a talk. And just as they return, you can barely hear the lawyer telling him to just tell the truth. All wants is the truth.
Who's Constance Wagner? Believe that was that was a the name on one of the checks that I cashed. Right.
So when you went to the bank or when you went to wherever you went and you presented a check made out to Constance Wagner, I assume they asked you, "Are you Constants Wagner? " Yes, you are. Yes.
And you said, "Yes, I'm Constance Wagner. " Yes. Why didn't you make the check out to like a male so they could they could probably see you're not a female when you walked in with the check?
Well, like I said, I wasn't in no shape or form. Uh I was I was under the influence of drugs. I didn't even know where this was where this took place.
I forgot all about this about that incident. Also, it's it's been quite some time since these cases happened. Um like I said, um but I I totally forgot.
I'm not trying to lie. I just I just didn't remember. Yeah.
It just seems curious to me that you wrote out checks to two females, presented the checks to cash. Did you cash any of the checks? I'm not sure.
Okay. I probably probably if I have this case, I'm sure they went through it. You You mean so what you're telling me?
You've done this so many times that you can't remember this one. No, your honor, it's been quite some time that has passed and I apologize. It was a year ago.
Okay. So, you had this these checks in your possession for a month, at least a month, right? Yes.
It went from several months to a month. I I know about the the the tech company is is the checks that I had in my possession, right? That you found at some Yes.
during some some building that was not in use when you were on a painting job. Yes. Okay.
So presumably TKR Tech, whose checks they were, had been out a bunch of checks for at least a month, up to several months, and didn't report it until the day you walked in to try to cash it on July 20th of 23. That seems unlikely to me that they would just be missing checks and not know they're missing checks. Well, I believed that I believed that the the people at the at the check cashing place knew knew that I was I wasn't who I was saying I was.
You mean they got clued in that you weren't Dusty Maze? Sure. Imagine that.
So So you weren't you were doing this completely on your own? Is that right? No, your honor.
No. Then I mean I was being driven. I had a drive somebody drive me who uh a friend Antonio Harris was his name.
Who's Antonio Harris? He was the one that took me to the check cashing. I I know.
I know. But he he you he didn't just pluck you out of thin air and drive you to the check cashing place. So who is Antonio Harris?
He he was somebody that uh that I was in contact with that showed me where to cash the check. Okay. To how to How were you in contact with him?
To to a drug dealer. When did you get in contact with them? That prior that month.
Okay. When when when you found the Probably a week probably a week before I cashed him. Probably a week or so before I cash before I attempted to cash it.
All right. So, what' you tell Antonio? I'd give him money if he drove me.
He told me I would be able to cash him there. So, Antonio is the one that directed it to Ace Cash Express. Yeah, I didn't have a vehicle.
Where is Ace Cash Express? I'm not sure. Is it in Ohio somewhere?
Yes. Yes. Is it in Cleveland probably or Payneesville out here?
I'm not sure. So, first you went to 185th, right? [ __ ] You know this.
I don't remember the sequence. Y how it went. I really don't.
All I know is I made one horrible decision after another. Right. I got involved with somebody that I had no business dealing with.
Who? Mr Harris. Okay.
Who led me to believe that it would be simple and easy and none of this would happen where I am today? You're doing the exact opposite of taking responsibility again. So, you're saying at first you did it because you thought it would only affect your credit score.
And now you're saying you did it because your madeup friend Antonio Harris told you it would be quick and easy. How about you try something different? Like telling them what you did, how you did it, and that you did it because you're a scumbag scamming thief.
Me being just under me being strung out on drugs and and and desperate like I was. Well, but I wasn't making You You didn't cash a check to get money for drugs, did you? One of the checks.
Yes. I thought you cashed it to get an earn. I used some of the money.
Yes. My granddaughter at the time during this had passed away. And what led me to come across was I was digging around and I found that checkbook and I found the the checkbook and I asked how I could get money out of this who who would be able to help me with these checks and I was led to Mr Harris and I I cash several checks around her and the money I used for drugs and the money I did do something with.
But I'm not making an excuse. I'm just telling you what happened. I was dealing with a a woman I've been involved with for 10 years.
drug a drug induced relationship is solely out of convenience trying to stay uh see these checks weren't found by you in a backpack in a building that was unoccupied. These checks were taken from the business. Three checks were taken from the business.
Care to elaborate how they were taken from the business? That I don't know. That I don't know.
Yeah. I did find the tech company uh checks. I did find those.
The other ones were given to me by who? Mr Harris with the attempt of cashing them. So now I didn't steal the checks from no company or no.
How did you go from you found them in a backpack in a building that wasn't occupied that you were working at, kept them for a month to several months in the car in the car and then decided to cash them and called Harris to find out where you could cash them. Now it's you just found one of them and Harris gave you the other two. Yeah.
I I had the tech companies and that's how I was led in to Mr Harris cuz that's what he was into. What? I had the company, the tech company, the TKR tech company.
I had that those check that checkbook. I wasn't sure on how to write checks or how to get money or where to go. You had a checkbook.
Is that what you said? Yes. There were three checks.
I didn't I didn't come to check your life. Oh Jesus. And by making the attempt of the TKR tech companies, that's how I was led to do it again.
I don't know what you mean by that. I found somebody that could help me cash the check, the tech company, and show me where to go to cash it and how to cash. What do you mean the tech company?
You found You found how to write the check. So, how did you know Harris had two checks from TK? I didn't.
I didn't. You didn't. It was just a coincidence that you found some and then he had some.
No, it was it was he I was I was given his phone number because that's by who? by by my dealer. By your dealer.
How did your dealer know to give you Harris's phone number? Because that's what the guy's into, I guess. You know what I mean?
Okay. Well, what did you discuss with your drug dealer? I asked him.
I said, "I had I try I tried to write checks. I said, I have a checkbook. I don't know how to get this money out of this company.
Where could I cash a check? " He said, he told me go to a check cashing spot or or I didn't have a vehicle. I said, "Well, who would you know what I mean?
No, I don't know what you mean. And he gave me this guy's number to call him for a ride. I gave him a ride and this is what the guy was into.
And and and Harris I was so willing to and Harris just happened to have two of these checks himself from TKR. No, no, those told me a couple those weren't in my possession. The TKRs weren't in my possession.
The other checks that you're talking about, I I don't know where they came from. All I know is I attempted to cash them. What?
What do you mean? What other checks? You didn't know where they came from.
What checks? Well, if there's a constants and uh uh Well, you said you told me you wrote them out. You wrote it out to Constance Wagner, right?
Didn't that what you told me before I left a little while ago? Didn't you tell me you wrote it out to Constance Wagner and then presented that to try to cash it and they wouldn't cash it? Yeah, that is what happened.
Not only can you not keep your story straight, but you think this judge is a fool when he is not. You don't You're not You haven't said one honest thing to me since since I walked in here. Your story's Your story has changed so many times, you can't keep your lies straight.
I mean, I know who Dusty Mazize is, okay? But you profess not to know who Dusty Maze is. You made a check out to Wagner.
You didn't make a check out the Wagner. Harris had two of these checks somehow and you just hooked up with him through a drug dealer. Man, it's it this is one of one of the single worst stories I've ever heard.
So what else you want to tell me? I mean do this your honor. I am confused about these dates and these checks.
I know there I know the constants. I don't remember exactly on how what order I tried to cash these checks in or if I even did cash the checks. That's I mean if you're making up a name somebody you write to cash a check.
Constance Wagner. That's in the check box. O N E R is a strange name to make up.
Those names. Those checks were already made and given to me to cash. By who?
By Mr Harris. You're the one. You told me that you found them.
I found the TKR tech companies. I found one checkbook. That's how I got involved with this guy to begin with.
Did you give him the checkbook? I I did give him the checkbook. This is a fluid story.
But I know I I attempted to cash the checks and I I don't even remember if the checks were cash. So So Harris wrote Dusty Maze on it. I don't even remember writing that.
No. I I asked you, did Harris write Destiny? You said Harris filled him out.
Yes. Yes, he had. He He wrote Dusty Maze on it.
He wrote Constance Wagner on it. Yes. I mean, were you dressed up like in a wig or something that you appeared to be a female?
No, I was given I was I was given a a fake ID paper. A fake ID of of females? No, it was just my face on it.
Your face on a a an ID that had Constant Wagner's name? Yes. Well, that's a lie.
You just said that you approached your dealer with these checks asking him what to do and that he told you to go to a check cashing store and you told him that you didn't have a ride. So, he put you in contact with this Antonio guy. So, if that's the case and this is truly your first time meeting Antonio, then how the hell did he have a fake ID with your picture on it already?
Okay, enough with his [ __ ] Let's hear what his sentence is. And Dusty May's name on it. Dusty Maze.
I'm I don't remember. I I do. I remember her.
My My guess is you were involved with some females to try to get these cash check uh uh checks cashed and it didn't work. That somebody took them from TKR not found in a backpack in a building in Middberg Heights or Wikliffe. Cleveland Heights, 185th, Ace Cash Express.
You're all over the place. I'm just asking you on Please give me a chance. Chance of what?
Chance in proving proving myself to you and into the court. I apologize for this. They said it was one bad decision after another.
I can't even remember. I don't know how I even got involved with these people. I'm not putting nobody else here or I'm I'm the only one sitting here facing this and they're all doing whatever they're doing.
And through my ignorance and foolish belief that it wasn't as big of a deal as it was is has gotten me here. And I just I just I just don't know what else to say, your honor. But I I certainly I'm not lying when I tell you I'm truly sorry for what I did.
And I just need I just need a break, man. Constance Wagner, 73 year old female from Chardan. So it wasn't just a madeup name.
But you you didn't put that name on there. Harris put the name on there, right? I wrote the checks, your honor.
Well, you told me Harris wrote the checks. I've signed them. Harris wrote him and you signed him.
Yes. When I was attempting to get the money or when I did get them, I I can't remember if if they went through or not. If I would have known it was a 73 year old woman, I wouldn't even have tried to cash the check.
Like I said, what what difference does it make who it was? It don't belong. So, what does that have to do with it?
There was a 73y old woman. Well, with your regards to being a a a better name or or decent something easier. Well, nobody just made up the name Constance Wagner out of thin air.
Like I said, this guy was into this stuff, so he probably had You told But you just told me you made out the checks. I signed the check. You're on.
Anything else you want to say? Please, your honor, I I just apologize. I just want to apologize, man.
It's I'm not trying to lie to you. It's just the way everything they were the way everything's coming out. It's just I don't understand it no more.
I don't understand what I did first, what I did last, how it was written, if one was cash or if it wasn't. All I know is is I'm I'm in a lot of trouble and I don't want to go to jail, man. Yeah.
You've you've been in a lot of trouble doing all similar stuff for a long time, right? Yeah. Gold.
Thank you, your honor. The state is asking for a prison sentence. The state does not believe that the defendant is amenable to community control sanctions.
He has had past he has gone to prison in the past and on his multiple cases that he has been on community control for he has had community control violations including as recently as September of this year for a case that is almost identical to this case where in January the defendant was convicted of identity fraud and forgery in Kyahoga County and missed repeated probation appointments um based on the conduct and the continu contined conduct in this case and in his other cases. The state believes that prison is um the appropriate sentence here. Thank you.
All right. I've reviewed the present report. And the drug and alcohol evaluation of listen Mr Bzowski, listen to counsel.
And uh clearly not one thing you've said has been true and you're very experienced at this. and you've been to prison a number of times. So your what you attribute as a failed memory because you were high doesn't work.
Your honor, I don't you're a Please, your honor, you're a lousy probationer. You don't do what you're supposed to do because you don't want to do what you're supposed to do. You're doing the same thing in Kyhoga County.
You you made you completely made up a story where these checks came from, how they came to be cashed. I I doubt that Antonio Harris is even a real person. Okay?
So, you're not immunable to community control. Count one, I'm going to sentence you to 12 months in prison. Count for 12 months in prison.
They'll be concurrent to one another with credit for 48 days. And the costs when you get out, you might be on postrelease control for up to two years under the parole authority with conditions. If you violate the conditions, they could send you back to prison for up to nine months for each violation up to one half of my sentence.
If your violation is a new felony, you could get an additional consecutive prison sentence for the violation of 12 months or the time left under postrelease control, whichever is more. Remaining counts are dismissed. Anything else, Miss Gold?
No, your honor. Mr Watson. No, your honor.
So, you got And he's out. I love watching this judge. He's a nononsense, no [ __ ] judge who drops the hammer and deuces out before the sentence even hits home.
But that's not the end of it because our little scammer is having some postc crayon clarity and instantly regrets not telling the truth. What was I supposed to say, man? I mean, I don't This is over two years ago.
I I I understand. I mean, I don't know what the which check was wrote first, which check was last. And now I'm going to prison.
Got 12 months. He ran them concurrent. And you got 48 days credit.
So, it's basically a month and a half. So, you got about 10 and a half to go. All right.
Go ahead. Man, what the [ __ ] did he want me to say, man? He's got me talking in circles.
incriminate other want me to tell other people like like dude I got involved with this guy and he g me these checks to [ __ ] cash what what I I'll meet you in the jail so we can talk what the [ __ ] man bye have a great time there may be nothing more satisfying than seeing a lying scamming thief cry because his actions have jailable consequences right guys that's the end of the video if you like the video hit the like button. If you disliked it, hit the dislike. But don't forget to leave a comment below and subscribe with notifications on so you don't miss any of my content.
I'm Team Skeptic and I'm [Music] out.
