By LANCE MARTIN
rrspin.com

ROANOKE RAPIDS – Three people, including one of the cast of a cancelled reality TV show, were arrested Friday and have been charged on counts associated with allegedly scamming an elderly victim.

Detective B.C. Griffin of the Halifax County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that Angela “Annie” Malone, 31, of Roanoke Rapids, had been a cast member of The Learning Channel series Gypsy Sisters.

He said Malone, 31, made mention of the show in general conversation during the booking process.

Malone, along with her cousin, Jeanette Small, 25, and Small’s boyfriend, Dick Cooper, 21, face charges of exploitation of the elderly, obtaining property by false pretense, forgery of an instrument, uttering of a forged instrument, and conspiracy.

Small and Cooper are also from Roanoke Rapids, a statement by Halifax Sheriff’s Chief Deputy Scott Hall confirms.

Griffin said the charges stem from the three doing yard work last November and December for an elderly victim in the Thelma Road area. He said the work the trio did was “very minor work” and the victim would pay them with a check, but would allow them to fill out the check with agreed upon price. However, they reportedly wrote the checks for an amount much higher than originally agreed upon.

In the five times the sheriff’s office knows they performed work for the victim, a total of more than $6,000 was bilked from the victim, Griffin said.

Griffin said the victim in the case was reportedly randomly chosen.

The three were arrested Friday with assistance from Roanoke Rapids police department Master Officer A. Salmon.

They received $6,000 bonds and have February 15 court dates.

The entertainment website Starcasm reported Malone made bail, which was reportedly posted by a co-star.

Griffin could not confirm the tabloid account.

Malone has been traveling back and forth from Roanoke Rapids, Griffin said. He said it was not clear what the driving force of the alleged crime was.

Gypsy Sisters followed the lives of six Romanichal women, all related, and was based in Martinsburg, West Virginia. The TV reality show first aired on Feb. 10, 2013 and ran for four seasons before cancellation.

(Lance Martin is the Editor and Publisher of www.rrspin.com. Permission was obtained to publish this story.)