A female inmate at a Florida jail was caught red-handed after she stole her cellmate’s debit card to bail herself out of jail and make other purchases. Crystal Dawn Stephens from Golden Gate Estates was already facing a lengthier sentence behind bars before she stole the card details of the 37-year-old Naples woman who was serving time for leaving the scene of a crash. The victim only realized she had been a victim of identity theft when she received her bank statement, Naples News reports.
- Stephens didn’t hold back when it came to spending. In total, she racked up $1,733 in charges on her cellmate’s debit card. In addition to bonding herself out of jail, she is also said to have bought items from the jail’s commissary, made numerous phone calls, and allowed a friend to buy a plane ticket with the info.
- The victim was suspicious right away. After learning that her debit card had been used at Liberty Bail Bonds and Allegiant Air, she was also told about the commissary and phone call purchases. That’s when she called to check out her suspicions that Stephens was behind the purchases. The two had only been cellmates from March 28 to April 3, at which point Stephens posted the bond. The victim’s suspicions were correct.
- So how did Stephens even get the card info? Well, when the victim checked into jail, she handed over her personal belongings including her debit card. However, before she did, she wrote down her card information and put it in a drawer next to her bunk bed.
- Now, Stephens has been re-arrested. She was charged with grand theft of $300 to $500, fraud, fraud by impersonating another or using another’s identification, and illegal use of credit cards. Given that she was already in jail for shoplifting, this is hardly a surprise. In total, she could face more than 25 years in prison for the new charges.
