OREM — An Orem man is facing criminal charges accusing him of taking advantage of a pickleball facility by linking his payments to fraudulent bank accounts.
Tyriq Daquon Johnson, 26, was charged Tuesday in 4th District Court with theft by deception and communications fraud, second-degree felonies.
Prosecutors say between January and March, Johnson obtained more than $7,300 in goods and services from Club Pickleball USA, 1330 Sandhill Road. Johnson created an Automated Clearing House payment profile when he joined Club Pickleball, which is a way to transfer money electronically, according to charging documents.
The profile "was used to pay for all his expenses, including court fees, lessons, merchandise and equipment purchases, and snacks. However, the profile was linked to a bank account that either did not exist or contained insufficient funds to pay for (Johnson's) expenses," the charges allege.
When payments were returned after several business days, Johnson "would initiate another payment using another ACH credential that was also tied to an account that either did not exist or had insufficient funds to pay (his) expenses," according to the charges.
When the business reached out to Johnson to try and resolve his debt, he "responded by apologizing and promising to provide a cashier's check or pay through an online link, which Club Pickleball provided to him." But Johnson "did not make the promised payment and ceased communicating with Club Pickleball," the charges state.
