SALEM – Bail for a Saugus felon caught again forging and uttering stolen checks at a Peabody bank last winter remains at $5,000 cash following his arraignment Friday in Salem Superior Court.John Truglia, 33, of 34 Susan Drive, Saugus, pleaded innocent to two counts of larceny over $250, two counts of uttering a forged instrument and two counts of being a notorious thief.Judge John T. Lu agreed to set the same bail amount as previously set in Peabody District Court, but left the door open for a bail review at another court hearing.In the meantime, Truglia remains held in lieu of bail at the Essex County House of Corrections.The charges arise out of two incidents in Peabody.On Dec. 29, he allegedly passed a forged check at the TD Bank at 31 Cross St. in Peabody for $471.70.He returned to the same bank on Jan. 22 and passed another forged check for $460.The checks reportedly had been stolen earlier from a man in Reading and another person in Seabrook, N.H.Truglia is due back in court on Sept. 29 for a pretrial conference.Because Truglia has prior convictions of similar charges, he will face a more severe punishment, if convicted as a notorious thief. He currently is serving a sentence for a probation violation involving crimes out of Suffolk County.Assistant District Attorney Karen Hopwood is prosecuting the case and Christopher Norris is the defense lawyer representing Truglia since he has been deemed indigent, meaning he has no funds to hire his own attorney, the state will pay all costs, but he is responsible for $150 towards the legal representation.
