Good Samaritan Who Returned Lost Credit Card Ends Up Getting Accused Of Fraud Because Of Her Kind Deed
No good deed goes unpunished
They say no good deed goes unpunished. One woman found that out the hard way when she returned a credit card that another customer had left on the counter in a gas station.
A video detailing the harrowing experience of Sandra Wilson. It all started when she visited a convenience store across the street from her home on her way to work on June 16, 2022.
As Wilson was leaving, she noticed that another customer had left their credit card lying on the counter.
Before picking up the card, she followed the woman out of the store and asked if she had left her credit card behind.
When the woman confirmed it was hers, Wilson returned to the store, retrieved the card, and delivered it to the woman in the parking lot.
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After returning a lost credit card, she was accused of fraud.
Though the entire incident was caught on surveillance video, it kicked off a series of events that according to Wilson, ruined her life.
She had no idea that she had given the credit card to the wrong customer. The video footage shows that there was another woman in the store at the time Wilson entered, who was the rightful owner of the card.
Unaware of the error she had made, Wilson went about her day and worked her regular shift as a security guard.
Meanwhile, someone used the card she had handed over to the wrong customer to rack up hundreds of dollars on alcoholic beverages.
When police investigated the crime, they saw Wilson on surveillance video in possession of the stolen credit card and accused her of being part of an elaborate scheme to steal the victim’s card.
Wilson’s picture was posted online, stating that she was wanted for the illegal use of another person’s credit card.
When she got wind of the discrepancy, she quickly made her way to the police station to clear things up.
Video footage shows officers repeatedly accusing Wilson of lying and denying her request for a lawyer before placing her in handcuffs.
She had asked for an attorney at least three times, but those demands were ignored, and the police continued with their interrogation, intent on getting a confession from her.
During questioning, Wilson cries in frustration, “I don’t know what y’all want me to tell y’all. I just walked into a gas station, and you all took my picture and ruined my life.”
She reiterates that she simply found the card and returned it to who she thought was the person that left it. Officers accuse her of lying and keep pressing for a statement they find acceptable.
When Wilson asked to see the surveillance tape that implicated her, law enforcement refused and opted to show her still images that they claimed proved her guilt.
Her recollection was shaky due to the fact that the situation wasn’t a big deal to her and the police used that as evidence that she was in cahoots with whoever made erroneous charges to the card.
She was remanded to jail for three days and charged with two felonies that carried a prison term of up to four years.
It took four months for the good Samaritan to finally get her day in court and when she did, Judge Paul Cusack of Wayne County Third Circuit Court was disgusted with what had occurred.
He dismissed the charges just before the case was scheduled to go to trial.
Cusack stated, “This is unbelievable to me. No trier of fact — even in the light most favorable to the prosecution —could ever think that Ms. Wilson is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.”
The judge went on to say that the police investigation was not thorough and to call the accusations against Wilson absurd, ridiculous, and wrong.
But the impact on her life is insurmountable.
Not only was she fired from her job, but it has also affected her ability to get employment and her face is still floating around online, associated with being a thief.
Wilson shared some of the difficulties her good deed has caused saying, “They embarrassed me. Humiliated me. I have 49 applications and I can’t get a job. That’s not fair.”
NyRee Ausler is a writer from Seattle, Washington, and author of seven books. She covers lifestyle and entertainment and news, as well as navigating the workplace and social issues.