BENTON HARBOR, MI – Seven Michigan residents stole more than $250,000 from Walmart across 35 states, a federal indictment alleges.
Elisha Vary, of Jackson, and Adarius Ferguson, Christopher Campbell, Joshawn Wilson, Tipton Lamar Walker, Jaylen Sulton and Marquis Davis, all from Benton Harbor, face numerous felony charges.
They are accused of stealing more than $250,000 from Walmart between January 2019 and April 2021, according to a grand jury indictment filed May 4 in the United States District Court Western District.
The indictment was unsealed Thursday, May 6, after the FBI arrested Walker in Georgia, Davis in Benton Harbor and Campbell in South Bend, per court records. Wilson was arrested at Lilac Hills Apartments, 4411 Lilac Lane, in Kalamazoo.
Vary, Ferguson and Sulton had not yet been arrested, as of 4 p.m. Thursday, according to court records.
The indictment alleges that Campbell, Davis, Ferguson, Sulton, Walker, Wilson and Vary were involved in more than 80 thefts or attempted thefts and more than 150 fraudulent returns or attempted returns in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana and at least 32 other states. There are additional people allegedly involved who are not indicted, according to court records.
The indictment alleges those involved would steal things like electronic vacuums, Beats by Dre headphones, Apple products and internet routers. Someone would then go into Walmart and use cash to purchase the same products, so they had receipts.
Then, someone would use that receipt to return the stolen items. This meant they would get cash refunds for the value of stolen items they returned, plus tax, the indictment said. The Walmart employee would give them the receipt back.
They would make part of the transaction code on the bottom of the receipt unreadable. Then they would use that receipt to return more items, despite already receiving a full refund during the first return when they used the receipt to return stolen products, the indictment said.
When these fraudulent returns happened in states other than Arkansas, California, Colorado, Missouri, Texas or Washington, the return process would cross state lines via wire communications, the indictment said.
Campbell, Ferguson, Sulton and Wilson are accused of stealing about $15,066 worth of high-priced electronics from a Walmart in Lenoir, North Carolina, on April 27, 2020.
Campbell and other, unindicted individuals are accused of stealing about $5,262 worth of high-priced electronics from a Walmart in Kittanning, Pennsylvania, on Jan. 26, 2019. Campbell is also accused of stealing about $7,495 worth of electronics from a Walmart in Manchester, Iowa, on Dec. 18, 2019.
In Dayton, Ohio, Ferguson and Wilson bought $542.88 of electronics on March 22, 2021, the indictment said. They then made a fraudulent return and received the whole amount back in a cash refund.
In total, the indictment lists 27 thefts and fraudulent returns. They allegedly occurred in stores from Kalamazoo to Texas to Colorado.
Davis was released on a $5,000 unsecured appearance bond. Wilson and Campbell were remanded to the United States Marshals Service, per court records.
Charges filed against the indicted individuals, according to court records, are as follows:
- Campbell: One count each of conspiracy to commit interstate transportation and possession of stolen goods, conspiracy to commit wire fraud and possession of stolen goods after interstate transport.
- Davis: One count each of conspiracy to commit interstate transportation and possession of stolen goods, conspiracy to commit wire fraud and two counts of wire fraud.
- Ferguson: One count each of conspiracy to commit interstate transportation and possession of stolen goods, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, possession of stolen goods after interstate transport and five counts of wire fraud.
- Sulton: One count each of conspiracy to commit interstate transportation and possession of stolen goods, conspiracy to commit wire fraud and possession of stolen goods after interstate transport.
- Walker: One count each of conspiracy to commit interstate transportation and possession of stolen goods, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, possession of stolen goods after interstate transport and two counts of wire fraud.
- Wilson: One count each of conspiracy to commit interstate transportation and possession of stolen goods, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, possession of stolen goods after interstate transport and wire fraud.
- Vary: One count each of conspiracy to commit interstate transportation and possession of stolen goods, conspiracy to commit wire fraud and four counts of wire fraud.
The defendants all face potential forfeiture of various physical assets, and money, if convicted.
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