JOHNSONBURG — A Ridgway woman is facing two felony charges after she allegedly spent more than $14,000 in fraudulent purchases using a family member’s bank card.
Kaitlin Ann Gorske, 26, is charged with access device fraud, a felony in the third degree, and receiving stolen property, also a felony in the third degree, according to a criminal complaint filed at Magisterial District Judge James Martin’s office Jan. 7.
The Johnsonburg Borough Police Department spoke with a woman on Dec. 6 at the station, who reported fraudulent use of her CNB Bank card. According to the victim, Gorske, a family member, started visiting her frequently after her husband died in July 2021. She provided Gorske with her CNB Bank card to help Gorske set up a Netflix account. Between July and December 2021, her CNB Bank card was reportedly flagged by her bank multiple times for fraudulent use, according to the affidavit of probable cause. The bank issued the victim three different cards during this time.
On Nov. 22, the victim’s CNB Bank card was flagged again. She met with an employee at the bank to go over her statements, and highlighted purchases she believed were fraudulent. The statements showed several alleged transactions to prison and jail facilities. The victim believed Gorske used her card to send money to two known inmates, according to the affidavit of probable cause. The victim provided police with her bank account history as well, and nine photographs of screenshots of text messages between her and Gorske. The victim confronted her on Dec. 2 about using her bank card, and Gorske allegedly made several incriminating statements via text. Since that date, the card has not been fraudulently used.
On Dec. 23, police spoke with Gorske at the station, who initially denied using the victim’s card for any fraudulent purchases. She was informed of the screenshots of the text messages, and at that point, admitted she used the victim’s cards without permission.
According to the affidavit of probable cause, Gorske admittedly said several purchases were fraudulent, including:
- www.underarmour.com –$284.95
- www.walmart.com –$2,488.83
- ICSolutions –$671.86
- DC Shoes –$185
- PayPal –$594.45
- Securus inmate call –$330
- Bath and Body Works –$1,015
- Facebook –$534
- Jail ATM – $643
- www.amazon.com –$6,344.36
- Jpay –$1,214.25
The grand total of the fraudulent purchases, according to the affidavit of probable cause, is $14,305.71.
Gorske’s preliminary hearing is set for Feb. 9, 2022.
