"Oh, it was, it really was relief. These are Napa County taxpayers. They are the lifeblood of our county," said Napa County Tax Collector Bob Minahen.
Minahen said the arrest actually took place in April, but the FBI was keeping it under wraps.
RELATED: Dozens of property tax checks in Napa Co. were stolen through mail, officials say
Authorities now say Ricco Jackson has been charged with felony fraudulent schemes and artifices.
According to court documents, Jackson set up a fake LLC in Phoenix and cashed stolen property tax checks from five Napa residents totaling about $103,000.
Officials said a bank froze his account, and when Jackson went in to ask why, he was arrested.
Jackson is scheduled to go on trial in August in Phoenix.
RELATED: More property tax check fraud victims come forward in Napa Co., officials say: 'My stomach dropped'
Minahen said he does not believe Jackson acted alone.
"I think you have somebody locally who's doing the stealing, somebody within the Bay Area between the Oakland post office, postal facility processing, and our office. And, they're then disseminating these stolen checks throughout the country," he said.
Authorities say stolen checks tied to the scheme have been deposited in multiple states, including Georgia, Florida and North Carolina.
Minahen said the search for any local suspects is ongoing.
"Hopefully, as we get closer and closer to identifying, where these checks are being stolen, people are getting more and more nervous," he said.
RELATED: Taxpayers flood Napa Co. Tax Collector's Office after payments vanish in check fraud scheme
Officials said all but one bank have reimbursed residents, totaling about $1.4 million.
To prevent similar incidents, the tax collector's office has changed the color of its collection envelopes and is encouraging residents to use online payment options.
"Check washing is now one of the top, fraud models that is being exercised throughout the country. So electronic payments, in a secure setting, is the way to go," Minahen said.
MORE: A wave of Bay Area property tax checks were stolen. Here's how to protect your paper check payments
Our ABC7 Eyewitness News data team found a sharp rise in check fraud reports across the Bay Area, increasing 96.5% between 2020 and 2025.
The FBI and U.S. Postal Inspection Service are continuing to investigate how the checks were stolen and whether additional suspects were involved.
If you have any information call the U.S. Postal Inspection Service hotline at 877-876-2455.
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