Macon man used a stolen credit card, Facebook in scheme to get cash for gas, cops say

A Macon man is accused of running up $15,000 in gas purchases on a stolen credit card he used more than 320 times within a week, authorities said.

Marquis Antonio Simmons, 30, is charged with more than 320 counts of financial transaction account fraud in connection with the stolen Fleet credit card, according to a Bibb County Sheriff's Office news release.

The card, which can only be used to purchase gasoline, was stolen from Five Star Automotive Group in Macon.

Sheriff's investigators were able to identify Simmons from a surveillance video and photos from his Facebook account. Simmons allegedly used the stolen credit card and his Facebook account in a scheme to get cash for gas.

Here's how it worked, according to the news release: Simmons created a Facebook post, telling friends that if they would meet him at a gas station, he would fill their tanks and use a credit card to pay for it. In turn, the friends would pay him half the cost of the fuel.

For example, a $20 fill up for friend with the stolen credit card would net $10 cash for Simmons. He was the only one who used the credit card, investigators said.

Simmons was being held Friday at the Bibb jail. Bond was set at $22,200.

Anyone with information related to the incidents was urged to call the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office at 478-751-7500 and ask for the on-call property investigator.

This story was originally published July 6, 2018 at 11:11 AM.