Indiana Woman Pleads Guilty to Obtaining Unauthorized Prepaid Credit Cards
| U.S. Attorney’s Office December 22, 2009 |
OWENSBORO, KY—United States Attorney Candace Hill announced that Kathina Reynolds, age 35, of Evansville, Indiana, pleaded guilty on December 21, 2009, to charges of knowingly and with the intent to defraud using an unauthorized access device, that is, a corporate credit card, to obtain things with an aggregate value of $1000, which conduct affected interstate commerce. In addition, Reynolds plead guilty to possessing more than 15 unauthorized access devices.
Specifically the indictment alleged that Reynolds and her co-defendant, Charice Curtis, obtained a corporate credit card in the name of OMNI Home Care Corporation, issued by Kroger Grocery Stores in Kentucky, without company authority. Between May 6, 2008, and June 20, 2008, Reynolds and Curtis purchased approximately $304,000.00 worth of gift cards at different Kroger Grocery stores in Owensboro, Kentucky.
Count Two alleged that Reynolds knowingly and with intent to defraud possessed or attempted to possess 15 or more unauthorized access devices, that is approximately 2,400 gift cards with a total value of $265,000. On June 23, 2008, the two co-defendants made an additional request for $265,000 more prepaid gift cards from Kroger. The two arranged to pick up the gift cards on June 25, 2008. When Reynolds and Curtis arrived at Kroger, they were detained by the Owensboro Police Department. Reynolds consented to a search of her residence and approximately $40,000 in gift cards were recovered from her residence.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Marisa J. Ford and Lettricea Jefferson-Webb, and it was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Owensboro Police Department.
The maximum potential penalties include a sentence of imprisonment of up to 20 years, a $500,000 fine, and supervised release for a period of up to three years.
Reynolds is scheduled to appear before Judge Joseph McKinley, Jr. for sentencing on March 19, 2010, at 10:00 a.m. in Owensboro, Kentucky.