By: Jeremy Scott
A Cleveland woman appeared in Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas on June 24th and changed her plea to guilty on the day her trial was to begin for scamming 158 victims for over $300,000 on Facebook.
Zienup Sbeih-Maddox, along with her sister Kirsten Laurie, as well as Kimberly St. John-Stevenson were all indicted by Cuyahoga County grand jury. The three face a litany of felony charges including: Conspiracy, Aggravated Theft, Money Laundering, Telecommunication Fraud, Engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity and possessing criminal tools, Possessing criminal tools, Tampering with evidence, Obstructing justice, and Receiving stolen property.
According to Cleveland 19 News, the scam was first exposed during an investigation in June 2017 by the station. The scam involved a Facebook group offering deep discounts on baby supplies. The prospective mothers would search the site for values, yet would never receive the products after paying for them.
As part of the plea deal, prosecutors recommend the Sbeih-Maddox serves six years in prison, pay $188,000 back to her victims and $20,000 to the Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority for fraudulently using the agency’s services.
The trial of St. John-Stevenson was also scheduled to begin Monday, but prosecutors say she is now expected to change her plea to guilty on July 10. Laurie has been placed in a court diversion program.
Jeremy can be reached at publisher@thevillagreporter.com