Man tries cashing $1 million check at Florida bank, cops say. It didn’t end well

A man with “a history of fraudulent transactions” went big at a Florida bank when he tried cashing a fake check for $1 million, according to investigators.

It didn’t work ... of course, deputies say.

The 38-year-old Miami man, identified as Marc Anthony Taylor Jr., presented the preposterous check – written under an assumed name – at a bank in Martin County, the Martin County Sheriff’s Office reported in an Aug. 18 news release.

“The check was drawn off JP Morgan Chase Bank and made payable to Cooper Legacy Builders LLC, an Orlando company Taylor had established with an LLC. His goal was to draw off of the check before the bank determined it was fraudulent,” the sheriff’s office said.

“Thanks to alert bank teller and quick response from our road patrol deputies, Taylor’s scheme was shut down before it could succeed.”

Taylor was arrested and charged “with uttering a false instrument, possession of a fake driver’s license, possession of an altered ID card, and attempting to fraudulently obtain property of $50,000 or more,” the sheriff’s office said.

“Investigators say Taylor has a history of fraudulent transactions and appears to be running similar scams across Florida,” officials said.

An Aug. 18 sheriff’s office Facebook post detailing the case had earned nearly 1,000 reactions and comments within a day, many from people astonished at the size of the check.

“Doesn’t everyone walk into a bank with a million dollar check?” Mike Gudgeon asked on the sheriff’s office Facebook page.

“I (keep) it under a billion so they don’t get suspicious,” Walt Edward wrote.

“Did he really think the teller was not gonna do a double take on a $1 million check?” Rosalia Di Fede posted.

Martin County is about a 110-mile drive north from Miami.

This story was originally published August 19, 2025 at 7:40 AM with the headline "Man tries cashing $1 million check at Florida bank, cops say. It didn’t end well."