West Virginia Resident Indicted For 2017 Connecticut KMart Capers

ACROSS CONNECTICUT — A West Virginia woman is accused of pillaging Connecticut KMarts in 2017 as part of a six-figure fraud operation back when there were still a few stores left in the state.

The escapde included stores all over the East Coast, a spokeswoman for the Western Pennsylvania U.S. Attorney's office said.

United States Attorney Scott W. Brady said that the seven-count indictment, returned on June 25 and unsealed Wednesday, named 37-year-old Martinsburg, WV, resident Tanya Thompson, also known as Tanya Whetzel, as the sole defendant on wire fraud charges.

According to indictment, from approximately June 2017 until December 2017, Thompson traveled to 25 states and purchased, among other things, third-party gift cards, including prepaid credit cards, at various KMart stores using fraudulent mobile phone coupons.

The total loss from the fraud scheme was tabulated at $101,567.50, Brady said.

Notable stores remaining in Connecticut at the time were in Milford, Vernon and Watertown. The store in Cromwell had closed in March of 2017. Milford and Watertown were specifically used as examples in the indictment, a spokeswoman for Brady's office said.

Thompson is facing a sentence of 20 years in prison for each count, a fine of $250,000 for each count, or both, Brady said.

Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant, he added.