A Florida woman has been sentenced to five years of probation for her role in a fraudulent check-cashing spree in Dubuque. 34 year old Sarethya Downing of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., recently received the sentence in Iowa District Court of Dubuque County after entering an Alford plea to charges of possession of stolen property and aiding and abetting of a felony. An Alford plea means the defendant admits no wrongdoing but accepts a given punishment. The charges stem from a 2023 incident in which court documents state Downing was one of several individuals involved in a Dubuque check-cashing scheme uncovered when police responded Aug. 21 to DuTrac Community Credit Union for a report of check fraud.