Three Plead Guilty to Passing Counterfeit Checks at Stores Including Oakdale Target

A man and two women pleaded guilty Thursday in federal court to passing counterfeit checks totaling thousands of dollars at retail stores around the metro area, including the store, according to a news release.

Ryan Lamarr Chambers, age unknown, Ci’Preaunni Ja’Von Stewart, 22, and Jamee Leah Spillman, 38, pleaded guilty to participating in a scheme in which they’d use counterfeit checks to purchase merchandise and gift cards that totaled between $30,000 and $70,000, the release says.

They claimed the checks were travelers checks, which prevented store employees from realizing they were counterfeit for several days, according to the release.

The three defendants each pleaded guilty to one count of aiding and abetting bank fraud.

Chambers admitted to passing the counterfeit checks at the stores, according to the release.

Stewart admitted to passing the counterfeit checks as well as opening bank accounts to be used in the scheme, the release says. The accounts were funded with checks from other accounts with insufficient funds to cover their value, according to the release.

Spillman admitted to applying for personal checking accounts using false identities and then using the fraudulent checks to buy gift cards, the release says.

Each of the defendants faces a potential maximum penalty of 30 years in prison, according to the release.