Three Women Charged With Attempt To Defraud Bank

March 28, 2013

Three women were charged with attempting defraud Regions Bank out of $850.

Deputies responded to the Regions at 4 East Nine Mile Road Tuesday afternoon where an employee advised them that a customer had tried to deposit a counter check written to Lashay Hodges for $850. There were insufficient funds to cover the check, deputies said.

The customer claimed to be Shantela Martin and produced identification with that name. Deputies determined that Shantela Martin had several active warrants for bad checks, and began to handcuff the subject in question. Deputies soon determined that the person they had in their custody was not Shantela Martin, but was actually Martin’s mother, Shantell Biggers of Cantonment.

At the time of the incident, Biggers was accompanied by Lashay Hodges of Pensacola, who was also arrested. Another female pulled up to the scene who said she was a friend of Biggers, and gave deputies a false name. Deputies later determined her actual identity was Louise Pinestraw of Cantonment, and she was also arrested.

Biggers, 43, was charged with financial fraud and producing a false identification and booked into jail with  bond set at $20,000. Hodges, 22, and Pinestraw, 28, were both charged with fraud and giving false identification to a law enforcement officer and bond was set at $16,000 each.

The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office is still looking for Shantela Martin, 24, who currently has eight misdemeanor insufficient funds arrest warrants. Anyone with information on her whereabouts in asked to call the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office Warrants Division at (850) 436-9747 or Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP.

Comments

14 Responses to “Three Women Charged With Attempt To Defraud Bank”

  1. David Huie Green on March 29th, 2013 7:52 pm

    contemplating:
    “they all could get a job, ”

    Now, now. they all could be brain surgeons when they aren’t trying to defraud folks.

    David for better brains

  2. fss on March 28th, 2013 8:47 pm

    just trying to get a little more of something for nothing.. they all could get a job, but thats to much when you can get it for nothing

  3. JCELLOPS on March 28th, 2013 2:47 pm

    to wharf rat: the Senate Budget Committe reported that in 2000 we had 34 MILLION on welfare (excluding Social Security and Medicare)….by 2011 it had risen to 54 MILLION …during that same time period, food stamps went from 17 MILLION to 54 MILLION……needless to say, its even higher now…but, the sequestration mechansm was triggered march 1, 2013…(prior to the 3 stooges most recent escapades)

  4. David Huie Green on March 28th, 2013 2:19 pm

    one of the dangers of identity theft, make sure the person you’re pretending to be isn’t already in worse shape with the law than you are

  5. cygie on March 28th, 2013 12:24 pm

    @ wharf rat: if a person is on govt. assistance they were getting a check long before the fabricated sequester began. The sad part is that this was their method of choice to get some sort of income. Bad decision. As for the Pinestraw family, that is what is called a generational curse.

  6. Wharf Rat on March 28th, 2013 9:41 am

    The bad side of this story is that if they are convicted, the taxpayers will have to start supporting them…..Oh wait! Do you suppose they are already getting a portion of my sequestered paycheck?

  7. shame shamee on March 28th, 2013 9:40 am

    @ confused….yup this is pinestraws momma. i guess being a criminal runs in the family!!! The biggers lady and the hodges lady are mother & daughter. dumb and dumber!!!

  8. Clarification on March 28th, 2013 9:01 am

    @ Confused~You are truly confused. “Who’s on First” is an Abbott and Costello bit, not The 3 Stooges.

  9. Confused on March 28th, 2013 8:17 am

    Good Grief, what a tangled web these women wove. Make the 3 Stooges Who’s on First sound easy. My hat’s off to the deputies and whomever else finally figured out who was who.

    Wasn’t “Pinestraw” the name of that young guy who “allegedly” shot into Pensacola Village at 500 East Fairfield Drive and murdered that innocent baby? He then fled out of state but was later captured. Never heard any more about him. Anybody know? Have to wonder if this Louise Pinestraw is a relative?

  10. just saying on March 28th, 2013 8:11 am

    Hey, here’s a crazy idea! If you want money, GET A JOB!!! EARN IT! I go to work everyday and EARN my paycheck. If these people spent as much time WORKING or LOOKING FOR WORK as they apparently do SCAMMING or TRYING TO SCAM others they would have money! Geez, some people are so freaking lazy and feel entitled!

  11. 429SCJ on March 28th, 2013 7:52 am

    When it comes to crime, you have the masterminds and everybody else.

  12. Abe on March 28th, 2013 7:27 am

    I can picture the scene of the crime.

  13. Rob on March 28th, 2013 7:06 am

    People People People … so you roll up on the police arresting two of your friends/family and the first thought that comes to your mind is to give them a false name?

  14. Henry Coe on March 28th, 2013 6:52 am

    Just think, If those gals had gone to college they could have gone to work for that bank and had a long legal career coming up with ways to scam customers.

Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News