Georgia man pleads guilty in Pittsburgh homeless check cashing scam

PITTSBURGH (AP) -- A 24-year-old Atlanta man has pleaded guilty to conspiring with three others to recruit homeless people in and around Pittsburgh who cashed 61 counterfeit business checks worth more than $130,000 late last year.

Cordarell Pearson acknowledged recruiting homeless people during his brief three-day stay in the Pittsburgh area last October, but denied that he was part of a larger nationwide conspiracy that federal prosecutors say is still being investigated.

Pearson is one of four Atlanta men arrested in the case last fall. The others are awaiting trial.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregory Melucci said Wednesday he can't comment on the scope of the investigation but says it involves "mostly the south and Midwest" United States.

In Pittsburgh the investigation was headed by U.S. Postal Inspectors and the Secret Service.