Every year in Sonoma County, business owners report millions of dollars in losses that are attributed to individuals who write checks with insufficient funds. The actions of these offenders affect everyone. Higher costs are passed on to the consumer to offset losses, and taxes are increased to cover the additional costs for law enforcement and prosecution.

As the District Attorney, one of my priorities is to focus on this problem. The Bad Check Restitution Program has been created to assist local merchants and business owners with bad check losses. The primary goal of this program is to obtain full restitution for the victim in a timely and effective manner.

First time bad check offenders are given the opportunity to avoid criminal prosecution by paying back full restitution, and attending a mandatory intervention class. This process takes place without any cost to the merchant, business owner or taxpayers.

It is our hope that this program will benefit you. Thank you in advance for your participation in this program.