Norfolk, VA – Sherise Williams, 40, of Palmetto, Florida, was sentenced today to three years and five months in prison for mail fraud, marking the conclusion of a multi-million-dollar fraudulent coupon scheme that defrauded retailers and manufacturers of approximately $31.8 million. Her sentencing brings the total number of individuals imprisoned for their roles in the extensive operation to seven.
The elaborate scheme, active from at least April 2017 through May 2020, was orchestrated by Lori Ann Talens of Virginia Beach. Talens used a computer to design and produce a wide array of counterfeit coupons, often with inflated values, enabling items to be acquired for free or at significantly reduced prices. She then sold these fake coupons to enthusiasts through social media and apps, with her husband, Pacifico Talens Jr., 43, assisting and profiting from the illicit enterprise.
Lori Ann Talens received a 12-year prison sentence, while Pacifico Talens Jr. was sentenced to seven years and three months. Williams, who purchased counterfeit coupons from Lori Ann Talens on 274 occasions, caused an estimated loss of $991,067. Other defendants sentenced for mail fraud include Amber Lynn Teague (six months), Jennifer Irene Snyder (one year and three months), Melissa Kay Apodaca (one year and six months), and Cindi Suzette Swindle (one year). The U.S. Postal Inspection Service and FBI’s Norfolk Field Office investigated the case.