WOMAN SENTENCED FOR MAKING NEARLY $9300 IN FRAUDLENT CREDIT CARD CHARGES

Frank Wagner April 23, 2014

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A 37-year old Bellville woman who made nearly $9300 worth of fraudulent charges on a family member’s credit card, then posted the illegal purchases on facebook, was sentenced in this week’s session of the 21^st District Court.

Assistant District Attorney Eric Berg says Wendy Michelle Rhodes simply picked up a credit card belonging to family and began using it. He said it began with making needed emergency purchases, but soon turned to visits to the nail salon and even a fun day trip to Galveston. Berg said she left a trail of the unauthorized purchases on social media.

Rhodes was arrested on March 9^th of 2012.

Judge Reva Towslee-Corbett sentenced her to two years deferred adjudication, and ordered her to pay back the $9300 in restitution.

Also sentenced in this week’s session of the 21^st district court, was a 41-year old man unable to keep up with the conditions of his probation for a 2012 conviction for the possession of cocaine. Berg said Jordan Anthony Spahn failed to appear at a show cause hearing and had his deferred adjudication status revoked. Now he will be on plain probation for the next four years and must pay a thousand dollar fine and serve 150 hours of community service.

Berg said a simple $50 theft led to a felony conviction for a 25-year old Brenham woman.

Bobbie Jean Mathes had been caught several times stealing misdemeanor amounts of items in the past few years but when she entered a Valero station in August of last year, she stole some small items one too many times. She was arrested. Judge Corbett sentenced her to three years deferred adjudication, ordered to pay a $500 fine, and perform 120 hours of community service.