McStay Family Murder Trial Day 19 Part 3 Det Dan Hanke Testifies

TL;DR

Suspicious activity on a QuickBooks account and phone records raise questions about financial transactions and communication between individuals.

Transcript

yes thank you a couple things clarify you said you were chastened for viewing a QuickBooks account that the plumbing to your agency buy into it correct yes and you said when you review the vendor list of the customer count I believe your testimony was all the vendors were in lower case right direction the state's testimony how about Ceylon ozn to h... Read More

Key Insights

• 🤨 Inconsistencies in the vendor list and check numbering raise suspicions about the accuracy and potential fraud in the QuickBooks account.
• 📲 Phone records show multiple calls between the defendant and the victim, often made multiple times a day.
• 📣 An 8:28 pm phone call from the victim's phone to the defendant's phone raises questions about their communication during the time of the alleged financial transactions.
• 🐿️ Voicemail recordings from a different phone number suggest attempted communication with the defendant after the 8:28 pm call.
• 🤨 Cash payments disguised as checks add to the suspicious nature of the financial transactions.
• 🤨 The change in business practices, specifically the writing of checks on the customer account, coincides with the suspicious activity in the QuickBooks account.
• 💁 The witness did not have access to IP addresses or computer-specific information related to the QuickBooks account activity.

Questions & Answers

Q: What discrepancies were found in the vendor list of the customer account?

The witness testified that all vendors were in lowercase, except for four vendors, two of which were capitalized. This inconsistency raised suspicions about the account.

Q: Were there different number sequences for handwritten and typed checks?

Yes, the witness confirmed that handwritten checks were from a 1000 number series, while typed checks were from a 4200 number series. Despite the difference in numbering, they were from the same bank account.

Q: What was the significance of February 1st in relation to the customer account?

According to the witness's report, February 1st was the first date when any checks were written in the customer account, suggesting a change in business practices.

Q: Why was the witness suspicious of the QuickBooks account activity?

The witness found the activity suspicious because it occurred after someone left the company and because checks were being written on the customer account, which was unusual.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• The witness describes the investigation of a QuickBooks account and the vendor list of a customer account, noting discrepancies in capitalization and number sequencing.

• Bank records involving Union Bank and checks written from a QuickBooks account are reviewed, revealing different number series for handwritten and typed checks.

• The witness highlights specific dates and times of check additions and deletions, as well as phone calls between the defendant and the victim.