6 Indicted on Separate Federal Fraud Charges

Six men and woman in Columbia were indicted Tuesday by a federal grand jury on charges ranging from wire and credit card fraud and unemployment benefits fraud, U.S. Attorney Bill Nettles said.

Melvin Anthony Brown, 47; Shawn Emmerson Peay, 38; and Ricky Lee Coker, 52, were charged in a two-count indictment with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and credit card fraud, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney's Office in Columbia.  

According to a report from The State, the three were allegedly involved in a plan to steal construction supplies from Columbia-area Lowe's stores.

If convicted, the three could receive 30 years in prison and a fine of $250,000. 

The case was investigated by the U.S. Secret Service and is assigned to Assistant United States attorney T. DeWayne Pearson of the Columbia office for prosecution.

Three other people in Columbia were indicted in unrelated cases:

Erhonda Tobias, aka “Erhonda Morgan,” was charged in an eight-count indictment.

Tobias, 31, was charged with mail fraud and theft of government property. She faces 20 years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000. 

Anthony Germany, 47, was charged in a six-count indictment.  He was charged with mail fraud and theft of government property.

Germany could receive 20 years in prison, if convicted and a maximum fine of $250,000. 

Both Tobias and Germany are accused of lying about their employment status in order to receive unemployment benefits, according to the report.  Read more at The State (subscription required).

Danielle N. Jones, 29, was charged in a nine-count indictment with mail fraud, fraud related to a social security number, and theft of government property. 

If convicted, Jones could receive be sentenced to 20 years in prison and  be fined $250,000. 

All three cases were investigated by agents of the Office of Inspector General for the Department of Labor and are assigned to Assistant United States Attorney Jamie Lea Nabors Schoen of the Greenville office for prosecution.