Seven co-conspirators were indicted recently for their alleged roles in an elaborate scheme of fraudulently placing value on MARTA Breeze cards and selling them to passengers.
The suspects are Pierre Metteaux, 22; Jedadia Byrd, 34; Melvin Summers Jr., 45; Christine Carney, 44; Stephanie Finger, 26; Brenda Small, 42, and Michael Dallas, 33.
The members of the ring, who were arrested in Dec. 2013, called their organization the "Underground Railroad," according to the indictment.
The co-conspirators would purchase legitimate cards for $1, fraudulently place unlimited or monthly rides on the card, and then sell them to MARTA riders for a discounted cash price, according to the indictment.
Distributors of the fraudulent cards were stationed at various terminals including H.E. Holmes, Five Points, Chamblee and Doraville stations.
“Essentially, this scheme outlined in the indictment spells out an elaborate plot to bilk MARTA through a theft of services,” said District Attorney Robert James. “These co-conspirators allegedly infiltrated the MARTA computer network to illegally program Breeze cards and offer free rides for customers of the ‘Underground Railroad’ scheme.”
Police arrested the seven suspects on Dec. 10 and charged them with theft, fraud and violations of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations or RICO Act.
The co-defendants’ arraignment has not yet been set.
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