People who commit felonies often prey on the innocent and take advantage of the naive. They gain advantage by exploiting others for their own personal gain. With that said, can ex-cons truly be rehabilitated? Is it possible for them to go the straight and narrow, or are they just waiting for the right chance to strike again? Before answering that question, you may want to hear Michele Fletcher’s story.
An ex-con whose crimes could be considered substantial, by monetary value alone, Michele and her husband, Francis Fletcher, were involved in one of the biggest credit card fraud and identity theft schemes of all time. When all was said and done, they had used the credit and identities of more than 40,000 people to amass millions of dollars in illegal purchases.
Michele learned the art of deception while growing up in Brooklyn. Her father provided her and her sister with extravagant shopping trips to Saks Fifth Avenue and a private school education, all paid for with other people’s money from check fraud and other various crimes. Although she is now estranged from her dad, she attributes her expensive taste and her "shop for free" attitude to him.
By the time Michele and Francis were married in 1998, she had given birth to a daughter and begun a career in cosmetology. The couple bought their first stolen credit card at a nightclub, which they used to go on a shopping spree. Michele bought herself a pair of pants at Bloomingdale’s and a Louis Vuitton bag. The rush from that first shopping spree served to feed the couple’s desire for bigger and better things.
Michele and Francis used government loans to expand her Moné & Company salons. The salons were a big deal in the local beauty industry. At one point, the three salons employed 50 people. From the outside looking in, the salons appeared very successful. Revenue reached $70,000 in some months and, unlike most salons, her stylists were paid salaries instead of commissions, with some of them getting as much as $80,000 per year. Some employees were even offered health benefits. Remodeling was also a constant at the salons. Nonetheless, the business expenses rapidly exceeded the profits, and Michele became more and more involved in fraudulent activities.
For more than three years, the Fletchers continued to acquire credit card numbers and Social Security numbers through purchase or "skimming." They used a machine to imprint the stolen numbers onto new cards and made identification cards with their photos alongside the card owners’ names and information. This gave them the physical card and the identification they needed to use it, eliminating any suspicion at the point of purchase.
To those on the outside, it appeared as though Michele Fletcher had the perfect life. She had a loving husband, three beautiful daughters, three successful salons and a gorgeous home in the affluent Prince George’s County area of Maryland. Their expensive taste and constant acquisition of frivolities and luxuries allowed them to easily fit into their surroundings. Michele’s salons provided a good front for the couple’s apparent wealth; however, with each new acquisition, they felt the need for more.
Michele had a 13-aisle closet filled with nearly 1,000 pairs of shoes. The house was outfitted with five plasma screen televisions and multiple satellite dishes. The couple had many luxury cars, including a Mercedes-Benz and a fully loaded Lexus. They also owned a Kawasaki Ninja motorcycle.
Unfortunately for them, their desire for extravagance, and lots of it, quickly became their downfall.
A clerk at a Target Superstore in Germantown, Md., was suspicious of the couple’s purchase of three $400 DVD players. Local and federal authorities began investigating, and in 2003, the Fletchers were arrested at their home. The police seized the electronics, clothes, cars and other items purchased with the stolen credit card numbers. Investigators noted that when they searched the home, they found "a credit card factory." There were machines for making counterfeit credit cards and 1,000 blank cards. They also found 100 counterfeit cards and a variety of fake identification cards.
In June 2004, Michele and Francis pled guilty to fraud. In a plea agreement, Francis was sentenced to five years (due to his prior criminal activities) and Michele to four years. They were also required to pay $183,000 in restitution and had to forfeit all the material possessions seized in the investigation.
During her time in prison, Michele Fletcher had a change in values. She began to understand that her greed and materialistic views would continue to be a problem for her if she didn’t change. At this time, she also began writing. When she was done, she had a novel based on the facts of her life and crimes. The novel, titled Charge It to the Game, is a fictional tale of a woman who takes what she wants, when she wants it.
Michele served two and a half years of her sentence, and was released early on good behavior. After her release, she got a loan from a friend to self-publish her book. She has promoted the book through book signings and radio interviews. She has been dubbed by some "the credit card fraud expert." She has used her appearances on television and radio talk shows to educate people on the dangers of credit cards. She explains that the numbers are not secure, no matter how secure the system is at the point of purchase. She also encourages people to keep an eye on their credit card bills and their credit bureau listing because of the ease of identity theft.
Although her crimes were substantial, in monetary value and the number of people impacted, Michele Fletcher has made an effort to show her reform. She served her time and used it constructively. She hopes her novel, as well as her various appearances, will help to educate people on the dangers of credit cards and how easy it is for others to steal that information. She is planning to get counseling with her husband when he is released to help them redirect their energies into more acceptable entrepreneurial ventures.
Michele and her oldest daughter are currently living in her mother’s house in Largo, Md. Michele recently completed a second novel about a woman who refuses to leave her drug-dealing husband.