All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
(Fremont County, WY) – 43-year-old Riverton woman Melain Jenkins faces an aggregate felony charge for “wrongful taking or disposing of property” for multiple fraudulent credit card charges made from 2017 to 2020.
These charges were made on two different credit card accounts at multiple businesses in the Fremont County area, totalling over $60,000. The charges were allegedly made at the request of a Florida scammer.
She also faces a misdemeanor charge for “attempted wrongful taking or disposing of property.”
After Jenkins’ preliminary hearing was waived, the case moved to District Court for an arraignment hearing on July 8th, where she pled “not guilty.”
According to court documents, on October 10th, 2018, the Riverton Police Department was contacted by a Senior Special Agent for the Global Security Office of American Express, about an alleged fraudulent credit card account in Jenkins’ name that had recently made purchases at a Riverton business.
After reviewing an email from the Special Agent, a Riverton Detective learned that American Express had been the victim of a fraud incident in the amount of $33,251.70 in the Riverton and Fremont County area.
The email reportedly goes on to name Jenkins as the prime suspect, and also identifies three individuals in other parts of the country who, “confirmed the fraudulent charges made on their credit card accounts, issued to Jenkins, were not authorized or requested by them.”
A Riverton jewelry store was contacted by the Special Agent as well, where the owner confirmed Jenkins had made a purchase on December 12th, 2017, in the amount of $11,079.70, and provided receipts for the transaction.
On April 20th, 2018, the jewelry store owner contacted American Express Global Security and informed them that Jenkins was back in the store.
The owner was reportedly advised to not confront Jenkins, in order to “obtain further identifying information.”
The owner was then able to provide surveillance photos and video to the Security Agent and Riverton Detective, who were then both reportedly able to identify Jenkins from social media.
Soon after, the Riverton Detective learned of suspicious activity on two accounts from the “American Express Co Fraud Loss Details Sheet” he was provided.
One account showed transactions at jewelry stores in both Riverton and Lander, as well as another Riverton drugstore, totalling in $31,787.20
The second account, showed transactions at a Rawlins business and another Riverton establishment, totalling in $33,251.70.
Both of these accounts reportedly had Jenkins’ address on the card Account Information Page. Receipts and replacement card requests were also sent to her address.
The Riverton Detective later made contact with Jenkins on October 17th, 2018, and she agreed to an interview at the station.
After being read her Miranda rights and signing the RPD Miranda Rights Form, Jenkins informed the Detective that she had made contact with an individual by the name of “Raymond Skinner,” who lived in the St. Pete Beach/Tampa, Florida, area.
Jenkins alleged that Skinner had her “get money from Moneygram or Western Union and send the money to his father in Nigeria,” and that this, “started about April of 2017, and she would get $300 to $400 sent to her at at time.”
She also told Detective Barry that “Skinner sent her credit cards and asked her to purchase jewelry and send it to him. She did as he asked, and she did not know how it was getting paid for as the bills were not being sent to her.”
Jenkins reported that she “never got any money from it,” and that Skinner had allegedly told her that he was a “Financial Consultant” being “investigated by the police.”
The Detective asked Jenkins whose name was on the cards and who set them up. She informed him it was her name on the cards, and that Skinner set them up before sending them “to her mailing address, direct from the credit card company.”
When asked if she kept any of the money, Jenkins stated “nothing,” then said she “used money from a credit card for herself, and mentioned Amazon and Itunes cards.” She also stated that “Skinner got mad at her for using the money for herself.”
Jenkins also informed the Detective that on multiple occasions, some transactions would not go through, resulting in “DENY” responses from the businesses’ credit card machines.
Jenkins then provided the Detective with the cards in her name, and agreed to let him accompany her to her residence.
Once at Jenkins’ residence, she reportedly showed the Detective various receipts/used gift cards, a bank bill, and pictures of the individual she knows as Skinner.
The Detective then observed that, “the accounts on the credit cards recovered from Jenkins were the same accounts on the banking statements on the forms provided on the fraudulent activity accounts from the Global Security Office of American Express.”
The evidence was gathered, and the Detective was later able to confirm two of the fraudulent purchases from Riverton and Lander businesses.
At Jenkin’s July 8th arraignment hearing, a jury trial was set for November 15th.
The maximum penalty for the aggregate wrongful taking or disposing of property felony charge is 10 years imprisonment, and a $10,000 fine.
The maximum penalty for the attempted wrongful taking or disposing of property misdemeanor is 6 months imprisonment, and $750 fine.
County 10 will provide updates on the case as it progresses, which can be found here.