Four Sacramento, Calif., residents are in custody after Casper police arrested them for allegedly trying to defraud local businesses by credit card scams, Sgt. Steve Schulz said Friday.

The two men and two women had come through Utah to Wyoming, where they have no family or other ties, Schulz said.

From Tuesday through Thursday, they apparently went to banks and other businesses where one of the defendants would present a credit card to an employee usually for a cash advance, he said.

The employee would determine the card was invalid or overdrawn, and another defendant would make a cell phone call presumably to a credit card company and talk with a presumed company representative - probably another defendant - about the card balance and its validity, Schulz said.

The caller would then hand the cell phone to the company employee who heard that the card was good and had a substantial balance, he said.

"They were caught because they were going from bank to bank," Schulz said.

On Friday, the four defendants appeared in Natrona County Circuit Court to hear the charges read to them by Judge David Park.

Because all defendants were charged with felonies, they will have their preliminary hearings within a few weeks for a judge to determine whether they should be bound over to state district court for trial, Park said.

The suspects are Crystal C. Calhoun, 30; Bobby Eugene Garrett, 23; Keilin Wayne Johnson, 23; and D'Ann Janice Nunley, 24.

Calhoun was charged with forgery, fraud, obtaining goods under false pretenses, conspiracy and other crimes.

Garrett was charged with credit card fraud and obtaining goods by false pretenses.

Johnson was charged with receiving stolen property, conspiracy, obtaining goods by false pretenses, and receiving stolen property.

Nunley was charged with credit card fraud, obtaining goods by false pretenses and forgery.

Calhoun, Garrett and Johnson had extensive criminal records including prostitution, DUI, burglary, drug offenses, threatening behavior, possession of a deadly weapon, trespassing, receiving stolen property, domestic violence, and robbery.

Because of these histories, and having no ties to the state, prosecutors asked Park to impose cash or surety bonds of $100,000.

Park agreed.

Some of the defendants did not.

"I don't know nothing," Calhoun said. "All that stuff is old."

"I can't afford a $100,000 bond," Garrett said.

"I didn't know we were out committing crimes until you put me in handcuffs," Johnson added.

Nunley had no significant criminal history, but still was with the other defendants. Park set a $10,000 bond for her.

She wasn't happy either, she said. "I can't afford it."

REPORT FRAUD

People who think they may have been a victim of this or other frauds should contact the Casper Police Department at (307) 235-8278.

Reach Tom Morton at (307) 266-0592, or at tom.morton@trib.com. Read his blog at tribtown.trib.com/TomMorton/blog.