The Great Smoky Mountain Journal
Source:
Tuesday, January 01, 2019 03:06 PM
Local Knoxville DJ Victim Say's He's Victim Of Scam As Charges Dismissed Against Him For Passing Counterfeit Check
Henton told WVLT News that he was the victim of an intricate scam, and not a criminal who tried to pass a fake check.
According to the arrest report, Sterling Henton went to Y-12 Federal Credit Union on Clinton Highway in June to cash a check worth $95,140 from Coda Ventures out of Nashville. Y-12 called the Nashville business, and a representative there said the check was not real.
Officials with Y-12 said they called Henton and he admitted knowing the check wasn't written for the correct amount at the time he tried to pass it. On Tuesday, Henton told WVLT News Anchor Amanda Hara he never said that. "I don't know anything about that conversation, I can't recall that. I'm not certain about that."
Henton said the company contacted him about a job, interviewed him multiple times, then hired him to handle purchase orders for medical supplies.
He said the $95,000 check was supposed to be used for one of those orders, but that he realized it was a scam when the bank told him the check didn't clear. "I told them I don't want a dime of it until I know it's all cleared, because I had not done business with this individual and this company until now, so I'm not going to touch it until I know it's all cleared," Henton told Hara.
Henton said he thought he vetted the company but regrets not contacting authorities for further help.
"If you think a blessing is coming to you and you vet the company, and you vet the opportunity, and if you still have a question, call the authorities. Call them. They want to help, they want to get ahead of these schemes, and not have people in a bad situation after the fact," Henton said.
Henton led the University of Tennessee football team as quarterback in 1989, winning the SEC Championship that year. According to his website, he spent some time in the Canadian Football League and Arena Football League before working with Warner Brothers and International Profit Associates.