Police charged an Iowa City man with 64 counts of forgery for allegedly using stolen checks to gain more than $23,000.

Benjamin Young, 38, 1118 Pine St., was charged with first-degree theft and forgery.

According to police, Young stole company checks from an unidentified firm and began filing them for different amounts of money in April 2009.

Young reportedly made out the checks to himself, forged a signature without permission, and cashed them at MidWest One Bank.

He allegedly did this 64 times between April and December 2009 and gained more than $23,000 from the checks, police report.

Young, who never paid back the sum, said he was sorry for his actions, police said.

First-degree theft is a Class C felony generally punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a maximum fine of $10,000.

— by Jordan Fries