A Chicago-area woman who was working as a housecleaner at a Chesterton home faces multiple fraud charges that accuse her of stealing a credit card from the residence and then engaging in its unauthorized use.
Haley A. Cline, 29, of Steger, Illinois, is charged with four Level 6 felony charges of fraud and four Class A misdemeanor charges of fraud.
Cline worked for an agency that performs house cleaning services.
A man who lives on Springdale Street in Chesterton had hired the agency, which sent Cline to his house. The man kept a Capital One credit card that had been returned to him by his ex-wife on the premises, a probable cause statement filed in Porter Superior Court says.
On Jan. 20, the man reported to the Chesterton Police that the credit card was missing and there were four unauthorized transactions on the account that occurred the day before at Aldi, Dollar General and Jewel-Osco stores in Chicago-area suburbs. The transactions totaled $199.92, court records show.
The man provided surveillance video that captured the license plate of the vehicle, which was traced to Cline.
One of the suspect transactions was at the Dollar General in Steger, where Cline lives. Jewel-Osco reviewed their surveillance tapes from their Chicago Heights store — where the credit card was used twice — and identified Cline, the court record said.
Lt. Justin Frever of the Chesterton Police Department used a recorded line to contact Cline on Jan. 27. She initially denied knowing anything, but later admitted that she used a credit card that she had taken from a Chesterton residence, the court record shows.
Cline stated she was “hard up for cash” and only used the credit card for grocery items. She admitted her actions were wrong, the court record said.
The victim stated that he still wanted to press charges. A review of Cline’s criminal history revealed a prior conviction for theft on Feb. 8, 2021, out of Cook County, Illinois.
Cline posted a surety bond and is scheduled for a hearing on Feb. 18 in Porter Superior Court 1.
Jim Woods is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
