Woman owes $10K in case of mail and identity theft

GULFPORT -- A woman has been ordered to repay about $10,500 in a federal case of stolen mail, identity theft and the use of bogus checks at Wal-Mart stores.

Megan Murley, 27, of Marlin, Texas, is one of five people indicted in May on a conspiracy charge involving checks stolen from mail boxes in Harrison County.

The indictment says the victims' financial information was put on counterfeit checks used to buy merchandise at Wal-Mart stores in Biloxi, Pass Christian, and Crowley, Texas. The purchases included electronics, gift cards, prepaid credit cards, food and clothes.

U.S. District Judge Sul Ozerden has ordered Murley to make restitution of $10,513.50. Of that amount, she must help codefendant Charles "Cody Blue" Slaton repay $9,671.87.

Murley was denied bond June 20. She pleaded guilty July 13.

Ozerden gave her credit for time served and ordered three years of post-release supervision at her sentencing on Nov. 30.

The conspiracy charge carries maximum penalties of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

The indictment accused all five defendants of conspiring to commit the crimes from Oct. 4, 2013, through Nov. 18, 2014.

Slaton, 47, of Granbury, Texas, pleaded guilty Oct. 19. His sentencing is set for Jan. 26.

Others indicted are David Burney, 47, of Grandbury, Texas; Joe Gonzales, 35, of Fort Worth, Texas; and Greg Anderson, age and hometown unavailable. A warrant for Anderson's arrest was issued May 20.

The indictment alleges Burney and Anderson stole the checks. Burney also is accused of taking counterfeit checks to the Biloxi Wal-Mart twice in one day.

Court papers show Murley, the mother of two children, possessed stolen checks belonging to three people on Feb. 7, 2014. She was accused of traveling with Slaton and Anderson to the Pass Christian store Jan. 1, 2014, and accompanying Gonzales to a store in Crowley, Texas, on Jan. 24, 2014.

The trial of Burney and Gonzales has been re-set on a court calendar that starts Jan. 4, 2016.

This story was originally published December 7, 2015 at 12:56 PM with the headline "Woman owes $10K in case of mail and identity theft ."