Internet Fraud Casebook

Chapter 8. Don'T Mess With Texas

KASONDRA N.D. FEHR

Trina Johnson was 32 years old when she started working for the Lewis Staffing Agency. Her past to that point had been shaky at best. Being a single mother wasn't easy, but after her only daughter turned 13 years old, Trina was able to get back into the corporate world and work full time. She had previously worked part time at various corporations in Houston in the receivables department and when she was off, she enjoyed working with her church. Trina graduated from high school near the top of her class and obtained a bachelor's degree in business administration and public relations, but had not found work in her field of study. She even considered going to law school at night.

Trina eventually secured a temporary position with Corydon Corporation as a credit manager responsible for the collections of specific segment clients. They were bigger than Trina was used to working with, but she was confident that she was up to the job.

Around the same time she began working at Corydon, Trina met Rhonda Davis in a beauty salon on a Saturday afternoon. Like Trina, Rhonda was a woman of spiritual belief and, to Trina's pleasant surprise, a part-time preacher. The two became friends instantly. Trina joined Rhonda's congregation and attended services often. One morning in April, Trina noticed that her new friend was a little troubled. Rhonda said she had a lot on her mind and had recently learned that the company she worked for was going to relocate ...