Staff Report

Marveona Nichole Thomas

WARSAW — A Warsaw woman was recently arrested for allegedly using a credit card in a fraudulent manner.

Marveona Nichole Thomas, 25, 504 E. Fort Wayne St. Apartment 1, Warsaw, is charged with fraud to a financial institution, a level 5 felony; and two counts of theft, both class A misdemeanors.

On Nov. 13, 2023, a Warsaw Police officer received a report about credit card fraud. A woman said she lost her card on Nov. 10, 2023, and that the card was used multiple times on Nov. 10 and 11, 2023. The transactions showed the card was used at Walmart and a local automotive shop.

The woman’s bank refunded her for the fraudulent transactions in the amount of $411.67. As a result, the bank suffered a pecuniary loss and is the fraud victim.

According to court documents, the officer reviewed surveillance footage from Walmart of the times the card was used. The officer also spoke with an automotive shop employee, who provided a description of a female customer he assisted on Nov. 10, 2023, and the vehicle she was driving.

By utilizing various resources, the officer determined the suspect’s vehicle was towed in South Bend on Nov. 19, 2023. The officer learned a phone number provided during the towing returned to a South Bend woman, whose picture did not match Walmart’s surveillance footage of the fraud suspect.

The officer spoke with the South Bend woman, who said she located the suspect’s vehicle on Facebook Marketplace listed by a profile named “Marveona.” On Nov. 18, 2023, the woman went to Warsaw to meet Thomas at her home. She told the officer she paid cash for the vehicle and received its title.

The woman drove the vehicle to South Bend, where it overheated and was towed on Nov. 19, 2023. She said she only purchased the vehicle since it appeared it did not need any repairs. The vehicle had one incorrectly-sized tire, and a set of brake pads were found inside the vehicle.

The officer was able to positively identify Thomas as the individual in Walmart’s surveillance footage. In a phone call with the officer, Thomas alleged a man who was with her at Walmart was the issue and indicated he made her sell her vehicle. Thomas also failed to appear for a scheduled interview with the officer on Dec. 11, 2023.

Thomas was booked in the Kosciusko County Jail on Nov. 21, 2024.