Fort Lauderdale, FL. Federal, State, and local law enforcement agencies in Florida executed search warrants at several locations today in a multi-agency investigation into an alleged counterfeit coupon ring with a multimillion-dollar impact. It was reported that several people were arrested and charged with multiple felony offenses. If convicted, they could face prison time, restitution, [...]
Norfolk, VA. The top five customers of convicted coupon counterfeiter Lori Ann Talens have been sentenced to prison, ordered to pay restitution, and years of supervised release. Name & Town [...]
News Release from Plymouth, Massachusetts District Attorney’s Office BROCKTON—A Taunton woman has pleaded guilty to her role in an organized, counterfeit coupon operation that stole nearly $27,000 in product discounts, Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz has announced. Jacqueline White, 42, pleaded guilty today in Brockton Superior Court to one count of Larceny by [...]
Naples, Florida—The Alcatraz East Crime Museum located in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee is expanding its counterfeiting display with a section titled "Operation: Super Coupon." It will feature numerous coupons confiscated during a coupon fraud investigation by the Phoenix Police Department in 2012, which led to the arrest and conviction of three women who were running a [...]
Naples, Florida—The United States Postal Inspection Service has arrested five individuals accused of conspiring with convicted felon Lori Ann Talens to use counterfeit coupons. Those arrested include: Melissa Apodaca (Colorado) Cindi Swindle (Florida) Jennifer Synder (Texas) Amber Teague (Kentucky) Sherise Williams (Florida) They each have been charged with: Mail fraud Wire fraud Conspiracy If convicted, [...]
News Release from Plymouth, Massachusetts District Attorney’s Office BROCKTON, Oct 31, 2023—Two women have pleaded not guilty to charges that they ran an organized, counterfeit coupon operation and stole nearly $27,000 in products, Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz has announced. Today, Jacqueline White, 41, and Crystal Travis, 41, both of Taunton, were arraigned [...]
PLYMOUTH COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS, August 29, 2023—A Grand Jury indicted Jacqueline M. White and Crystal Lee Travis on felony criminal charges for the alleged use of counterfeit coupons. If found guilty, White faces a potential of up to 15 years in prison, and Travis faces a potential of up to five years in prison. According to [...]
Karen Guzman entered into a plea agreement in her counterfeit coupon case on Thursday, July 13, 2023. She pled no contest to a felony violation of CA Penal Code Section 496(a) (receiving stolen goods). As part of her plea agreement, the remaining three counts were dismissed with a Harvey Waiver. A Harvey Waiver allows the dismissed [...]
Glittering, Shining, and Sparkling are all words that sound delightful. However, in the coupon world, these glowing words are often attempts to cover up an ugly truth: Theft by Deception aka Fraud. Glittering and the like are terms used by some “Dark Side” couponers to describe the practice of stealing products using coupons for items [...]
Known as “Glitchmas” by criminals, many con artists take advantage of the chaos and staffing issues (new or temporary employees) during the holiday season. Retailers should be extra vigilant this year as inflation and other economic challenges have increased the appeal of criminal activities. Stolen items are often resold creating unfair competition further harming retailers. [...]