Reality star, ex-husband accused of scamming more than $18,000 in gift cards from Lexington stores

A reality television star and her ex-husband are accused of scamming two Lexington department stores out of more than $18,000 in gift cards.

Mellie Jeanette Lee, known on TLC’s “Gypsy Sisters” as Mellie Stanley, was arrested on charges of criminal possession of a forged instrument, theft by deception of $10,000 or more and unlawful access to a computer, according to the Fayette County jail. Her ex-husband, George Lee Jr., was arrested on the same charges for the alleged crimes that occurred on Oct. 23.

The two are accused of using counterfeit coupons at the Lexington Toys “R” Us and Babies “R” Us to commit $18,075 in fraudulent purchases, according to Lee’s arrest citation. They used “coupons” disguised as being legitimate to purchase Visa prepaid gift cards, according to court documents.

The investigation showed that the couple traveled to numerous locations across numerous states committing these fraudulent purchases using illegitimate coupons, according to court documents.

They were in court Friday and waived their cases to the grand jury, which will review the charges. Each have been placed in the jail on $5,000 cash bonds and each will have to wear an ankle monitor if the bond is met.

Prior to her arrest on the Lexington charges, Lee was in the Lake Charles Correction Center in Louisiana, according to the jail website. She had previous arrests on charges including assault, battery, public intoxication and disturbing the peace, according to the prosecutor.

“Gypsy Sisters” ran from 2013-2015, and she also appeared in “My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding,” according to IMDB.

Lee, who has three children, lives in Louisville, she said in court Friday.

This story was originally published December 22, 2017 at 10:37 AM with the headline "Reality star, ex-husband accused of scamming more than $18,000 in gift cards from Lexington stores."