TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - A woman faces multiple theft charges stemming from her use of credit cards, checks and personal identification belonging to at least six people.
Laura December Wilson, 29, remained in the Leon County Detention Center on Friday on a $45,000 bond. She was booked there Monday.
In a probable cause affidavit, a deputy wrote that Wilson has warrants for her arrest from Calhoun and Baker counties in Florida prior to Jan. 19, 2018. She has been incarcerated in Gadsden County.
Court documents say that Wilson sometimes lives on the streets and often took advantage of both people who tried to help her and people she had relationships with.
A ploy she used more than once was to have the victim cash checks she said were from other people but were intended for her benefit, court documents say.
Wilson's victims include a person who tried to help Wilson get on her feet in November 2017, according to a probable cause affidavit.
Wilson told that victim someone had stolen her identification and she could not drive and could not cash the checks in question.
The checks were drawn off a Centennial Bank account belonging to a person that Wilson falsely told the victim was her grandfather.
The first check was for $250 and was made payable to the victim, who cashed the check and gave the money to Wilson. Next, Wilson had the victim cash a $400 check and give the victim all but $20, which Wilson told the victim to keep for gas money.
Given a third check by Wilson, the victim became suspicious and asked the bank about the check. The bank said the checks Wilson claimed were from her grandfather were stolen, and the previous two checks the victim deposited would be returned.
The victim covered the fraudulent checks with $650 from savings, resulting in Wilson owing the victim $630.
Wilson escaped before law enforcement arrived to arrest her, but the victim identified Wilson in a photo line-up with 100 percent certainty.
In a bag Wilson left behind, investigators found a bag with eight more checks made out to Wilson's supposed grandfather and several pages of his bank statements.
Based on these facts, the court document said, Wilson is being charged with organized scheme to defraud.
Soon, another victim contacted the Leon County Sheriff's Office investigator to report that Wilson had fraudulently used her debit/credit card to buy a pizza and withdraw $100. The victim also said that Wilson had abandoned her duffel bags at the North Monroe Street hotel where they were staying.
In the bags, the investigator found items belonging to other people. The items included prescription bottles of pills, a birth certificate, mail and other identifying documents, voided checks, checkbooks, checks, debit cards, Mastercards and Visa cards.
One person told the investigator that the stolen checks he was arrested for passing were given to him by Wilson when they were hanging out in a hotel in Leon County.
The investigator also spoke with three other people who had been victimized by Wilson and found probable cause to charge her in those cases as well.
Wilson's specific charges are listed:
- Grand theft of $200 but less than $5,000 (2 counts)
- Felony theft (2 or more convictions)
- Fraudulent use of credit cards: $100 plus greater than 2 times in 6 months
- Criminal use of personal identification information (2 counts)
- Dealing in credit cards of others
- Fraudulent use of personal identification information of deceased person
- Providing false name to law enforcement
- Organized scheme to defraud
