Material possessions play a central role in the culture of the United States. Many people will go to great lengths to obtain money or other possessions which they desire. However, some people make the mistake of allowing their desire for possessions to overtake their better judgment. Three women may have succumbed to this desire, resulting in criminal fraud charges in Texas.
Three women were arrested after they allegedly used an organized credit card scam ring which defrauded a Wal-Mart location in Texas of $19,000. The defendants are accused of planning the crime via Facebook where two of the defendants contacted the third suspect who was an employee at the targeted Wal-Mart. The three suspects then planned to use prepaid credit cards that are sold at Wal-Mart in order to defraud the company, according to the charges filed against them.
Each of the three suspects faces charges of a single count of credit card abuse, as well as one count of organized criminal activity. The defendants are young women ages 22, 20 and 18, respectively. Wal-Mart’s loss prevention team called the local police after they discovered the alleged wrongdoing by the suspects. The police officers arrested the three women, who were inside the store location at the time.
The police are continuing to investigate the incident in Texas. Authorities expect to file more criminal charges in addition to the fraud charges the defendants are already facing. Therefore, it seems that the three women will have a challenging task of defending themselves in a court of law. However, with thorough preparation, it is possible to mount a strong legal defense that minimizes consequences or even results in some, or all, charges being dismissed.
Source: Forney.com, “Three arrested in credit card fraud ring“, Mathew Richards, Oct. 28, 2014