A Chicago woman was sentenced to five years of probation, with the first eight months to be served on home confinement, for credit card fraud in West Virginia.
Stephanie Stevenson pleaded guilty to possession of 15 or more counterfeit access devices. A counterfeit access device is a credit card that has been altered so that it contains stolen information that has been re-encoded on the magnetic strip on the back of the card.
Stevenson admitted that she, along with three codefendants, Wynesha Wilson-Robinson, Christine Johnson, and Crystal Merritt, possessed over 100 counterfeit access devices. Stevenson, along with the other codefendants, drove from Chicago to attempt to use these credit cards.
On June 5, 2015, they were observed at the South Charleston Target and Walmart attempting to use the counterfeit cards. The four were arrested by law enforcement after store employees became suspicious of the multiple attempts to use the credit cards to complete a purchase.
The South Charleston Police Department and the United States Secret Service conducted the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Erik S. Goes is in charge of the prosecution.
United States District Judge John T. Copenhaver, Jr., imposed the sentence. This is the final sentencing as a result of this investigation.
Wilson-Robinson was sentenced on August 11, 2016, to five months in federal prison, to be followed by five years of probation. Wilson-Robinson was further ordered to serve the first five months of her probation on home confinement.
Johnson was sentenced on October 3, 2016, to six months of home confinement, to be followed by three years of probation.
Merritt was sentenced on October 18, 2016, to five years of probation, with the first eight months to be served on home confinement.
Stevenson’s sentencing brings to a close the investigation into the credit card scheme.
Related Federal Cases
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- Paula Butterfield, Medicare and Medicaid Fraud, West Virginia 2015 · Kentucky
- Courtney McFeaters, Credit Card Fraud, Pennsylvania 2011 · Washington
Key Facts
- State: West Virginia
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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