Mariner's Wife Charged with Stealing Debit Card from Another M's Wife, Spending $180K Online

Maria Jacqueline Peguero, wife of Seattle Mariners outfielder Carlos Peguero, allegedly stole the debit card of Sarah Hernandez’s, wife of Mariners star Felix Hernandez, and went on  a massive shopping spree. She spent $180,000 online at Saks Fifth Avenue between June and October 2012.

The store brought the fraud to the attention of card issuer Morgan Stanley when the shipping address did not match the billing address. The purchases were made by a “Jackie Peguero.” Peguero is facing federal wire-fraud charges, which carries a 20-year prison sentence. Authorities traced her email address to her Twitter and Flickr account, which had pictures of her in some of the purchased merchandise. One single transaction was for $11,000:

According to the court documents, Maria Peguero “spent two or three days” at the Hernandezes’ Bellevue home in May 2012 while Felix Hernandez was away. The Mariners had a long away stretch in the middle of the month, playing in New York, Boston, Cleveland and Denver.

According to the complaint, Sandra Hernandez told investigators she and Peguero shopped online during that time. The complaint indicates that Hernandez asked Peguero for help “due to [Hernandez’s] limited understanding of the English language.” Hernandez told investigators that Peguero had access to her credit cards during that time.

According to the complaint, the purchases went on for more than three months, during which time Peguero contacted Sandra Hernandez to ask if she ever reviewed her debit-card statements. Hernandez told Peguero “that she did not usually review the bills because their finances were managed by a third party,” according to the complaint.

Hernandez was reimbursed and the U.S. Secret Service filed the charges in Tacoma, WA. She pleaded not guilty and is free on bond. Hernandez and his wife were not identified, but a source confirmed to the Seattle Times they are in fact the victims of fraud. 

Hernandez is a star on the team. His nickname is “King Felix,” and he won a Cy Young award. Peguero splits time between the Mariners and their AAA Tacoma team. Maria is Pedro Borbon’s youngest daughter and was arrested in 2012 for shoplifting at a TJ Maxx.