New defendants named in check-kiting scheme lawsuit

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — Five Star Bank’s lawsuit against a prominent Rochester business owner now accuses four others of taking part in the alleged check-kiting scheme .

Katherine Mott is known for running Monroe’s, the Wintergarden, and Crescent Beach, among other businesses. The bank says she was transferring bad checks between accounts to overdraw them, defrauding it out of around nearly $19 million.

Court paperwork obtained by News 8 says Kristina Bourne, Robert Harris, Timothy Larocca and Taylor Pagano each played a part in this scheme. It also claims several other banks, including Tompkins Community Bank, Canandaigua Bank and Trust, and Lyons National Bank all closed her accounts for suspicious activity.

In a statement Wednesday, Mott said she could not comment on legal processes, but said her businesses will continue to operate with professionalism.

“As we have said before, all our establishments are and will continue to be operating with the quality and professionalism our customers have come to expect. Obviously, we cannot comment on the legal process other than to say we continue to work towards resolution of the issues at hand.”

Katherine Mott

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