Black Contractor Accused of Check Fraud While Cashing $182 Paycheck
Juan Coleman says a Commerce Bank branch in Edina wrongfully accused him of check fraud while attempting to cash a legitimate $182 paycheck. The incident, which involved multiple verifications by his employer, raises concerns about racial discrimination in banking and has prompted legal action.
A local man says he was accused of fraud while trying to cash a $182 paycheck at a Commerce Bank branch in Edina last fall, prompting him to seek legal counsel and raising broader concerns about how Black customers are treated at financial institutions.
Juan Coleman said he received the check on the morning of Nov. 13 from Fieldwork Inc., the market research firm where he worked as a contractor. The company’s office is located on the seventh floor of a building that also houses a Commerce Bank branch. Around 10 a.m., Coleman walked downstairs to cash the check at the bank, which he said holds Fieldwork’s business account.
Instead of a routine transaction, Coleman said he was immediately met with suspicion.
“She looked at the check and said, ‘This is fraudulent. I see these types of checks going around,’” Coleman recalled, referring to Commerce Bank operations assistant Michelle Johnson. “I was shocked, confused — just completely caught off guard.”
Coleman asked Johnson to verify the check by calling the Fieldwork office. When no one answered, he returned upstairs and brought back Emily Fulcher, the Fieldwork employee who had handed Coleman the check. Despite that, Johnson refused to cash it, saying additional verification was required.
Coleman and Fullcher then asked Fieldwork’s president, Natalie Renna, to intervene. This time, she and Coleman returned to the bank, where Renna spoke privately with Johnson. After their conversation, Johnson cashed the check.
Though he walked away with the funds, Coleman said the encounter left him deeply unsettled. “I wasn’t greeted or asked if I had an account,” he said. “I was just told the check was fraudulent.”
Coleman said he contacted Commerce Bank’s Chief Banking Officer Joshua Burgess two days later. According to Coleman, Burgess acknowledged the situation was mishandled and asked how the bank could make things right. During the phone call, Coleman said he told Burgess he wanted to take time to think about it over the weekend and followed up by email, but never heard back.
“I ended up following up again not too long after. Still nothing,” he said.
Frustrated, Coleman retained attorney Rich Hechter in December, who submitted formal inquiries to the bank in February. While Commerce Bank responded, Hechter said their delayed replies lacked key documentation — including the request for evidence supporting Johnson’s claim that the bank does not cash checks for non-customers.
“They responded to the summons and complaint in May, but nothing further,” said Coleman. “It’s been as quiet as a church mouse since then.”
Hechter, who regularly handles cases involving racial discrimination in banking, said Coleman’s experience reflects a troubling pattern.
“These types of cases often go ignored until a formal lawsuit is filed,” he said. “It’s unfortunate, but it’s a trend I’ve seen too many times, where financial institutions don’t take these situations seriously until there’s legal pressure.”
Hechter also conducted a recorded interview with Renna, the Fieldwork president, on Dec. 11. In the recording, she confirms that Coleman sought her help and that she accompanied him to the bank. She described Johnson as “flustered,” though unsure why.
Renna told Hechter she stayed at the bank after the interaction with Johnson to make sure Coleman was okay. Renna also said Johnson claimed Coleman had been told about the bank’s non-customer policy. Coleman disputes that claim. “I was never told that,” he said.
“Not until Rich [Hechter] showed me the recording did I hear that excuse. No one ever said they wouldn’t cash it because I wasn’t a customer.”
As of this week, no resolution has been reached. Hechter says they have tried to avoid filing a formal lawsuit. “They missed deadlines,” he said.
Coleman said he wants accountability from the bank and hopes any resolution includes annual staff training around diversity, equity and inclusion. “They accused me of a serious felony,” Coleman said.
The Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder contacted the Edina Commerce Bank branch. Johnson answered the phone but declined to comment.
Jasmine McBride welcomes reader responses at jmcbride@spokesman-recorder.com
Dei lawsuit 😂