Former ‘Gypsy Sisters’ Star Mellie Stanley Extradited to Tennessee, Held on $350k Bail
This isn't good. Back in December, former Gypsy Sisters star Mellie Stanley was arrested in Lexington, KY on a warrant. The 28-year-old was booked for theft by deception, criminal possession of forged instrument, and unlawful access to a computer for a massive coupon scam at Toys "R" Us and Babies "R" Us — and now, she's being extradited to another state on the same charges.
Mellie will be extradited from her home in Indiana to Tennessee where she will face multiple charges of criminal simulation stemming from her alleged coupon scheme that she allegedly commited in multiple states, according to Starcasm. Mellie was booked on Wednesday and she is currently facing seven charges for criminal stimulation and her bail is set at $350,000. She was already charged for similar crimes in Kentucky and reports claim that there may be two more states where she allegedly committed coupon fraud.
She was arrested in Kentucky in December and at the time, law enforcement told TMZ that Mellie allegedly pulled off a massive coupon scam at Toys "R" Us and Babies "R" Us, and revealed that she and her husband, George Lee Jr., used counterfeit coupons to purchase $18,000 worth of items at both stores. Mellie was reportedly transferred to a Kentucky jail where she was being held on $13,000 bail, and through family and friends, she was able to raise enough money to pay her bail and be released. But since her bail in Tennessee is significantly higher, it's unclear if Mellie will be able to raise money from friends and family to post bail.
Unfortunately, this isn't the first time the TLC alum tried to get away with coupon scamming. Back in 2014, she and her sister were reportedly busted for running a coupon scam at a North Carolina Target. So much for living and learning!
Mellie has long been considered the black sheep of her family, often getting drunk and ruining family affairs. Yet many would argue that she didn't have the best role model growing up. In 2013, her mother, Lottie Mae Stanley, completed a nine-year prison sentence after being convicted of bank fraud in 2004. The conviction came after a string of cons in at least 11 states had federal authorities looking for Lottie for more than six years, and even landed her on America’s Most Wanted in March 2003!
"She is one of the smoothest talkers you will ever run into," Detective Vince Chalecki, of Sugarcreek Township Police in suburban Dayton, Ohio, said of the way Lottie operates. According to the Enquirer, she used small talk, acted aloof, and employed "her 13-year-old daughter [Mellie] to gain trust and further confuse young bank tellers into releasing account information." Yikes — sounds like crime (sadly) runs in the family!
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