A woman from Elkins, West Virginia, is facing 10 felony charges after state police say she spent more than $50,000 with a debit card that wasn’t hers. Her name is Jessica Fay Michaletz, and she’s 36.
She’s charged with 10 counts of fraudulent use of an access device. Right now, she’s sitting in the Tygart Valley Regional Jail on a cash-only bond of $52,928.33, which matches the amount in the complaint.
How the Case Started
It began with a phone call. On a Thursday evening in January, a Mountain Valley Bank representative contacted the West Virginia State Police about possible fraud. According to the criminal complaint, the bank had already flagged about $40,000 in suspicious charges by then.
The story behind the card is pretty simple. A replacement debit card was mailed to an old address, and investigators say it ended up being used for a long run of Cash App payments.
What Troopers Found
A trooper went through the account ledger and counted 204 fraudulent charges that were approved. There were also 219 more attempts that got denied. The total listed in the complaint is $52,928.33.
Most of the charges went through Cash App. Troopers got a search warrant for the Cash App records, and the company that owns it, Block, Inc., sent back the details in late March.
How They Tied It to Her
This part matters, because Cash App accounts are easy to open. Investigators say two accounts were linked to the stolen card.
The first account was registered to Michaletz. It was verified with her West Virginia driver’s license and her Social Security number. Troopers also matched it to her home address and her IP address.
The second account is the odd one. The complaint says it used someone else’s personal information, but it was opened on the same device. Troopers believe she added the stolen card number to that second account.
What She Allegedly Said
Michaletz was arrested in April on a separate fraud matter. While she was in custody, a trooper told her about the new investigation and handed her a copy of the ledger. She reportedly said she didn’t need to read it, because she knew what it was.
According to the complaint, she then said she found the debit card on the ground next to the mailbox it was supposed to be in. She also allegedly said she used the card “for Christmas.” When the trooper told her the total was more than $50,000, she reportedly reacted with shock.
Those are claims from a police complaint, not proven facts. A court hasn’t decided any of it yet.
Where the Case Stands
Michaletz waived her right to a preliminary hearing, so the case is going to a grand jury. A grand jury decides whether there’s enough evidence to formally indict someone. It doesn’t decide guilt.
For now, she’s presumed innocent. If you’ve had a replacement card show up late, or not at all, it’s worth calling your bank right away. Mail theft is one of the easy ways these cases start.