EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. – A Chilean national is facing federal charges for using a stolen credit card to purchase gift cards at the Sam’s Club in Glen Carbon.
Maryorie Fernandez-Ormeno, also known as Guadalupe Maldanado Salinas, 36, is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit access device fraud, access device fraud, attempted access device fraud and illegal entry after deportation and two counts of aggravated identity theft.
“Individuals who enter the U.S. illegally and steal from our communities will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” said U.S. Attorney Steven D. Weinhoeft.
According to court documents, Fernandez-Ormeno is accused of stealing a credit card out of another woman’s purse while she shopped at the Schnucks in Edwardsville. She then used the stolen credit card to purchase $2,684.24 in gift cards at the Sam’s Club in Glen Carbon on Feb. 18, 2024. Fernandez-Ormeno is also accused of using the same stolen credit card to attempt to make a $2,477.76 purchase at the same Sam’s Club.
Fernandez-Ormeno was previously deported from the U.S. on Oct. 2, 2023, and she is facing a charge for reentering the country unlawfully. She was arrested by the U.S. Marshals Service in Philadelphia.
A co-conspirator is also facing charges.
An indictment is merely a formal charge against a defendant. Under the law, a defendant is presumed to be innocent of a charge until proved guilty beyond a reasonable doubt to the satisfaction of a jury.
Convictions for attempted access device fraud and access device fraud are punishable by up to 10 years’ imprisonment, aggravated identity theft is a mandatory two years in federal prison, conspiracy to commit access device fraud can earn five years’ imprisonment and illegal reentry after deportation is punishable by up to two years’ imprisonment.
The Edwardsville Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations are contributing to the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathleen Howard is prosecuting the case.