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Kallembach accused of forging Federal Reserve checks
FRB Bank checks used to buy tractors, laptop computer
Larry Kallembach 2
Larry D. Kallembach

The 56-year-old Platteville man facing felony theft and forgery charges in Walworth and Dane counties is accused of buying seven antique tractors at an auction, and a laptop computer, with checks supposedly issued by a Federal Reserve bank.

Larry D. Kallembach, 1536 County B, is charged in Walworth County with theft by false representation of more than $10,000 and forgery — uttering.

Kallembach’s initial appearance in Walworth County Circuit Court in Elkhorn Wednesday was continued to Dec. 12 at 1:15 p.m.

Kallembach is also charged in Dane County with an additional forgery — uttering charge. His first appearance in Dane County Circuit Court in Madison is set for Dec. 30 at 1:30 p.m.

Kallembach is also charged in Grant County with resisting or obstructing an officer, a misdemeanor. His first appearance in Grant County Circuit Court in Lancaster is set for Dec. 16 at 10:30 a.m.

The resisting charge was filed when a Grant County sheriff’s deputy tried to serve a warrant on Kallembach, according to the sheriff’s department.

The Walworth County criminal complaint alleges that Kallembach purchased seven tractors — 1949, 1956, 1959 and 1965 John Deeres, a 1944 Oliver, a 1951 International Farmall, and a 1957 Ford tractor — from Mecum Auctions in Walworth at an auction in Davenport, Iowa, in October, paying for the tractors with a $39,250 check. The tractors were delivered to Kallembach Nov. 1, according to the criminal complaint.

Mecum’s bank told the auction service Nov. 4 that the check was fraudulent, and Mecum had to pay the tractors’ original sellers, according to the criminal complaint.

The check was from an FRB Bank in San Antonio, and Mecum’s attorney told investigators “the FRB San Antonio Bank does not do personal accounts.”

A search warrant executed Nov. 14 found four of the tractors, and Kallembach told investigators the other three were in garages in Platteville.

Kallembach told investigators he purchased the tractors “by using a Federal Reserve Bank check which he writes out of his social security signature bank,” and not from an actual bank, the criminal complaint said. Kallembach told investigators “he kept writing checks from his social security card/account because they never came back as having non-sufficient funds.”

In the Dane County charge, Kallembach is accused of purchasing a Macbook laptop computer from a Madison computer store July 18 with a $1,916.91 check from FSB ATL Bank in Atlanta. The store’s bank returned the check as coming from a nonexistent bank account, according to the criminal complaint.

The Federal Reserve has 12 regional banks, including in Atlanta. The Federal Reserve Bank in Dallas has what it calls a “branch” in San Antonio.

The Federal Reserve is the central bank of the U.S., and is one of three agencies that regulates federally chartered banks. The Federal Reserve lends money to other banks and provides services to financial institutions.

The maximum sentence for the forgery charges is six years in prison and a $10,000 fine. The maximum sentence for the felony theft charge is 10 years in prison and a $25,000 fine.

Kallembach is free on a $10,000 signature bond, according to court records.