Woman accused of buying new Mercedes with bad check, not paying attorneys

A woman accused of leaving a paper trail of fraudulent transactions worth nearly $85,000 is facing criminal charges and a civil lawsuit.

Martina Nicole Halliday, 38, of Cabarrus County, used a personal check on a closed account to buy a $51,489 2022 Mercedes Benz GLE 250 on March 16 from Mercedes Benz of Northlake, according to court documents.

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She was charged with felony obtaining property through false pretense and larceny of a motor vehicle.

On June 7, Halliday allegedly wrote a $8,700 check to a landlord but she didn’t have that money, either.

For this crime, she faces the charge of felony worthless check.

Before these alleged incidents in November 2023, Halliday hired James, McElroy & Diehl for legal counsel, which cost at least $25,000. However, Halliday didn’t pay, according to a civil lawsuit, court records show.

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