Second Chicago woman sentenced for credit card fraud

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – A Chicago woman was sentenced today to six months of home incarceration, to be followed by three years of probation, for credit card fraud, announced United States Attorney Carol Casto. Christine Johnson, 26, previously entered her guilty plea 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.

Johnson admitted that she, along with three codefendants, Wynesha Wilson-Robinson, Stephanie Stevenson, and Crystal Merritt, possessed over 100 counterfeit access devices. Johnson, 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 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.

Two of Johnson’s codefendants are awaiting sentencing and one has already been sentenced. Crystal Merritt is scheduled to be sentenced on October 19, 2016. Stephanie Stevenson is scheduled to be sentenced on November 3, 2016. Wilson-Robsinson was sentenced 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 incarceration.

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