VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Two women have pleaded guilty to their involvement in a multi-million dollar coupon fraud scheme based in Virginia Beach.
The leader of the operation is currently serving a 12-year sentence, while five individuals who purchased the counterfeit coupons from her were also arrested several months ago.
Watch previous coverage: More arrests made in $31M coupon fraud scheme started by Virginia Beach couple
Investigative reporter Margaret Kavanagh has been covering this case from the beginning, when the shocking crime sent a husband and wife to prison.
Lori Ann Talens was sentenced to 12 years in 2021, and her husband Pacifico received a 7-year sentence.
The couple was running a $31 million coupon scheme from their Virginia Beach home, one of the largest coupon fraud schemes ever discovered in the country.
Watch previous coverage: Feds accuse Virginia Beach husband and wife of multimillion-dollar counterfeit coupon scheme
In January, WTKR reported that five women from around the nation were arrested for buying fake coupons from Talens. Two of them have now pleaded guilty to mail fraud.
Prosecutors say they were members of a counterfeit coupon network.
Amber Teague from Kentucky admitted to buying counterfeit coupons on 155 occasions, giving Talens over $12,000. Her actions caused a loss to retailers of over $616,000, according to court records.
Melissa Apodaca of Colorado spent more than $9,000 buying fake coupons on 94 different occasions for products like Dawn, Downy, Pepsi, and Pampers.
The loss to retailers in her case was over $465,000, it states.
Bud Miller, the Executive Director of the Coupon Information Center (CIC), a group that works to combat coupon fraud, played a key role in the investigation.
He is glad that prosecutors went after both the Talens, who were making the counterfeit coupons, and the top five highest buyers who were purchasing them.
"I think it's great kudos to the Postal Inspection Service and the U.S. Attorney's Office for doing a great job and going after some of Lori Talens' clients," Miller said.
WTKR reached out to the attorneys for the defendants.
Teague’s lawyer issued the following statement:
“Amber has taken responsibility for her mistake and will ask the Court for mercy at sentencing. As a hardworking and devoted mother of three, Amber is eager to put this chapter in her life behind her and move forward.”- Attorney Diane Toscano
The two defendants who pleaded guilty are scheduled to be sentenced in December.
Miller warns that this case should serve as a warning to others involved in counterfeit coupon scams, as they are subject to prosecution.
He says his organizations created the CIC Suspect Coupon Checker app that retailers and law enforcement can use to check and instantly identify counterfeit coupons.
Miller said consumers should never buy coupons.
