Cooper v. State

A Gwinnett County jury found Johnny Cooper guilty of one count of forgery in the first degree and two counts of forgery in the second degree. Cooper appeals from the judgment of conviction and sentences entered by the trial court on the jury’s guilty verdicts. Cooper enumerates as error the sufficiency of the evidence and the denial of his motion in limine. Finding no error, we affirm.

Viewed in the light most favorable to the verdict,1 the evidence shows that Cooper and his girlfriend, Nadine Ross, were employed for approximately three months by Insulation Division, Incorporation a/k/a IDI. During his employment with IDI, Cooper went by the name of Johnny Slaton. Cooper’s employment was terminated, and Ross failed to show up for work on the second work day subsequent to Cooper’s termination. Richard Manietta, vice-president of operations of IDI, testified that he was unsure of the exact date of Cooper’s termination but it was in September or early October of 2001 and prior to the events related to the charges against Cooper. Manietta further testified that several days after their departure, he discovered that ten blank checks were missing from the payroll account.