United States of America v. Hayley Brown Lundquist and Samantha Fleischacker Gillihan

Seattle, Washington, criminal defense lawyers represented the Defendant accused of gift card and debit card fraud.

Reported by Kent Morlan

Hayley Brown Lundquist, 30, of Snohomish County, and Samantha Fleischacker Gillihan, 34, of Arlington,

used a sequencing scheme to load gift card numbers on their smart phones – numbers for gift cards they never purchased that may have been purchased by others. The women would use any balance on the gift cards to purchase merchandise and then return the merchandise for cash or other value. Some of the merchandise was sold to others. In all the pair defrauded the retailer of more than $80,000.

In addition to the gift card scheme, Brown Lundquist and her sister used stolen debit cards belonging to other people to purchase merchandise. At times they used fraudulently obtained debit cards along with fraudulently obtained gift cards to make purchases. At the time of her arrest, Brown Lundquist had identity information for numerous people in her possession.

Each woman is charged with multiple counts of wire fraud for their gift card and debit card scheme. Each is also charged with Aggravated Identity Theft for using a real person’s information in connection with the debit card purchases.

Finally, Brown Lundquist is charged with unlawful possession of a firearm because of her previous felony convictions in Snohomish County: In 2019 she was convicted of three counts of possession of stolen property; and in 2022 she was convicted of possession of a stolen vehicle and identity theft. Those convictions mean she cannot possess firearms, but law enforcement found two handguns in her bedroom, alongside fraudulently obtained merchandise, on August 5, 2024.

Wire fraud is punishable by up to 20 years in prison. Aggravated identity theft is punishable by a mandatory minimum two-year sentence to run consecutive to any other sentence imposed in the case. Being a felon in possession of a firearm is punishable by up to ten years in prison.

The charges contained in the indictment are only allegations. A person is presumed innocent unless and until he or she is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

The case is being investigated by the Lynnwood Police Department with assistance from the FBI and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

A criminal charge is not proof of guilt.