CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (CLARKSVILLENOW) – The former star of a cancelled TLC reality show has been arrested in Clarksville and accused of attempting to scam the local Toys R Us store.
Mellie Jeanette Lee (known as Mellie Stanley on the show “Gypsy Sisters”) was arrested in Clarksville on April 4, 2018. According to an arrest warrant, Lee attempted to use counterfeit coupons at the Clarksville Toys R Us on November 22, 2017. The arrest warrant says she modified the bar codes on the electronic coupons on her phone.
The clerk had some concerns about the value and amount of the coupons, but Lee allegedly told the clerk she had approval from the store manager. Seven coupons valued at $300 were scanned. The warrant says Lee obtained gift cards for the coupons and selected merchandise for a total of $2,412.24.
When Lee left the store, the clerk spoke to the manager and they tried to cancel the gift cards, but it was too late in the transfer process.
Lee was arrested this week and charged with two counts of criminal simulation, which is a felony. She was booked into the Montgomery County Jail on a $100,000 bond.
According to the Associated Press, Lee was accused of a similar crime at a Toys R Us location in Fayette County, Kentucky in December 2017. News outlets report her arrest citation states that she and others used counterfeit coupons to purchase $18,000 in items at Toys R Us and Babies R Us in October 2017. She pleaded not guilty to the charges.
TLC’s “Gypsy Sisters” aired from 2013 to 2015. Lee (Stanley) also appeared on “My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding.”