A check-cashing business along the 7200 block of Monterey Street lost more than $11,000 in the span on one hour Friday, when 31 suspects who appeared to be migrant workers cashed fake checks ranging from $340 to $370 each, police said.

The next morning, staff noticed the checks - drawn from a local bank account of Cal-Pro - all had the same serial numbers and reported the matter to police, Sgt. Jim Gillio said.

Half an hour after the 31 suspects cashed their checks, the owner of another check-cashing store on the 100 block of Old Gilroy Street noticed something odd about the checks Omar Vidal, 22, and Manuel Vera Espinoza, 36, tried to cash. The two fled but were later arrested on suspicion of forgery.

Visitor robbed

An adult male from out of town woke up in his hotel room Friday at 6:30 a.m. to find his video camera, wallet, $1,000 Apple laptop, memory stick and keys gone. About midnight the night before he took two females back to the Best Western Forest Park Inn on Leavesley Road, according to police. The victim said he suspected he had been drugged.

Case may be delayed

The family that faces 169 counts of conspiracy, perjury, forgery, grand theft and other felony charges is scheduled to appear in court Monday to begin a preliminary hearing.

Vincent Cardinalli, Sr., 65, his son Paul Greer, 31, Greer's sister Rosemary Ball and her husband Michael Ball are "believed to have operated a small claims lawsuit mill in at least two counties involving hundreds of small claims actions," according to an affidavit. However, the proceedings could be delayed because one defense attorney is tied up in another case, Deputy District Attorney Dale Lohman said. She expects the hearing to be pushed back to next month, she said.