HELENA-A woman who stole approximately $219,980 from Kmart stores in 11 states, including Montana, was sentenced to prison and ordered to pay restitution, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.
U.S. District Judge Sam E. Haddon sentenced Lynada Laticia Mahone, 40, of Chicago, IL, to 45 months in prison and to three years of supervised release. He also ordered $219,980 restitution. Mahone pleaded guilty to wire fraud in December 2018.
Court records filed by the prosecution said that Mahone, beginning in September 2017, went on a four-month fraud spree targeting Kmart stores in 11 states. Mahone stole $219,980 in 56 fraudulent transactions using what she claimed were checks from the federal food voucher program, Women, Infants and Children (WIC), a special supplemental nutrition program. After entering the stores, Mahone used the WIC checks at the teller stations because Kmart does not run them through the check verification process when an individual presents them to the store.
At the end of the day, however, Kmart realized the teller stations were short on money and that Mahone’s checks were fraudulent. By the time Kmart discovered the fraud, Mahone had already received the goods and gift cards and was long gone. Mahone often made multiple transactions at a single store if the scheme was successful.
Law enforcement arrested Mahone after she was at a Kmart in Tolleson, AZ. Mahone possessed various fake driver’s licenses in her purse.
The investigation also uncovered video surveillance images showing Mahone at Kmart stores throughout the country, including in Butte. Mahone also hit Kmarts in Glendive, Helena and Hamilton. Other states involved in the fraud were Wyoming, Idaho, Minnesota, Washington, Oregon, Texas, Oklahoma, Utah, Nevada and Arizona.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Weldon prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the FBI.
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Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
