FLINT — Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton said a jury has found a Flint woman guilty of Retail
Fraud First Degree for attempting to steal more than $1,000 worth of merchandise from the Meijer store
on Center Road in Burton.
According to testimony at trial, on the afternoon of November 28, 2024, store employees observed a
woman later identified as Tammy Lynn Athey quickly load a shopping cart with at least 30 clothing items
valued at more than $1,000. She then proceeded to the exit doors without trying to pay, and the shopping
cart locked up as she attempted to push the cart out the exit. She then grabbed as many items out of the
cart as she could and exited the store into the parking lot where store asset protection observed her
loading the stolen items into a car later identified through the license plate as being registered to her.
Police also testified that they were familiar with Athey from a previous incident.
During trial, Athey testified in her own defense claiming that someone else had used her car that day and
that the person in the store video surveillance was not her.
“Some of the jury may have been born at night but it wasn’t last night and they weren’t going to be fooled
by her testimony,” Prosecutor Leyton said after the verdict.
He credited assistant prosecutor Mike Pifer on bringing the case to trial and securing a guilty verdict with the assistance of critical support staff.
Athey has previously been convicted of three other felonies and therefore stands to be sentenced as a
four-time habitual offender which increases the possible maximum penalty from 5 years to up to life in
prison.
