I'm sorry, but from what I know of banking law (ianal, nor do I play one on the Internet, but it helps to know enough to defend yourself from banks)... why isn't he in jail? I thought knowingly doing what he did constitutes bank fraud and numerous other charges?
Worth noting that (at least according to him) it's not just that he didn't make the fake cheque, it's that when he gave it to his bank he meant it as a joke, he wasn't actually trying to get the money.