Published: April 11, 2008 11:17 pm      

Woman accused of paying court fines with stolen credit card

CLINTON — A Clinton woman is in jail after allegedly using a credit card number stolen from a past employer to pay for court costs and automobile repairs, according to officials.

Courtney L. Gay, 26, of Clinton, was arrested Monday and charged with credit card fraud, identity theft and violation of probation.

According to court documents, Gay began employment at The Scotts Company in Morrison, Ill., in April 2007 and was responsible for reconciling business accounts, checking receipts for accounts payable, and data entry. A supervisor at the company stated Gay had access to two company credit cards, but had no authorization to use them.

Documents state that after Gay was terminated from The Scotts Company in November, company officials discovered she had made several unauthorized payments using a company credit card during her employment. On Aug. 27, and Nov. 12, Gay allegedly used the stolen credit card number to pay three court fines totaling $696 associated with three past criminal cases. Gay had pleaded guilty to second-degree theft in January and was sentenced to three years probation, and had a deferred judgment on a forgery charge after forging and depositing checks stolen from her mother’s checkbook.

Gay is also accused of using the stolen credit card number to pay for $503.35 in vehicle repairs at McEleney AutoCenter in October.

Gay was booked into the Clinton County Jail on $15,000 bond, but was transferred to the Carroll County Jail in Illinois due to lack of space, and is scheduled for a hearing on April 18, at 9 a.m. A hearing will be held on April 24, at 1:30 p.m., to revoke Gay’s probation.

Credit card fraud and identity theft are class D felonies, punishable by up to five years in prison.