Woman accused of money laundering scheme and theft of $26K from Centralia resident

Jan. 31—An Aberdeen woman faces allegations that she participated in a money laundering scheme and theft of more than $26,000 from a Centralia resident’s bank account.

Abby D. Craig, 22, is charged with one count each of first-degree theft and money laundering, both considered Class B felonies punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine.

Craig has no prior warrants and only one criminal conviction for property damage by hit-and-run, according to court documents.

She made a preliminary appearance in Lewis County Superior Court on Jan. 30.

Despite the lack of criminal history, Assistant Prosecutor Brad Meagher requested $10,000 cash or surety bail, saying that based on the allegations, the state believed Craig was “involved in organized crime.”

Rachael Tiller, Craig’s attorney at the time, argued for unsecured bail, which she said was based on the nature of the allegations, Craig’s stable residential information and the fact that there was nothing similar in his record.

Judge J. Andrew Toynbee set bail at $10,000 cash or surety, consistent with the state’s request, saying the allegations “appear to be along the lines of organized crime.”

He said the economic impact was more severe than that of a typical first-degree theft.

According to the probable cause affidavit filed by the Lewis County Prosecutor’s Office, the Centralia Police Department became aware of the alleged scheme in December 2025, when an officer took a report from a Centralia resident who claimed someone had accessed funds from his Peak Credit Union account and then transferred them to another person’s Peak account.

While speaking with a Peak employee, the agent allegedly learned that the funds were ultimately transferred to an account belonging to Craig.

Another Peak employee said she received a fraud alert on Dec. 15 after Craig attempted to withdraw $5,000 from her Peak account.

The employee said she called the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office, who arrested Craig.

Upon further review of Peak’s records, the agent allegedly discovered that $26,700 had been stolen from the victim’s account, according to the affidavit.

The affidavit specifically references an “unauthorized withdrawal” of $5,076.95 from the victim’s account that allegedly took place at the Emerald Queen Casino.

Surveillance footage allegedly shows “Craig arriving at the casino shortly before the unauthorized withdrawal” and “making the money withdrawal,” according to the affidavit.

On December 30, Centralia detectives contacted the owner of the “pass through” account. The woman reportedly denied authorizing any of the transactions – which reportedly included transfers of $13,000, $5,000 and $10,000 – and denied knowing the victim.

On Jan. 28, detectives received body camera footage showing contact between a Pierce County sheriff’s deputy and Craig the day she attempted to withdraw the $5,000 from Peak Credit Union.

According to the affidavit’s description of the bodycam footage, Craig allegedly said that “two men told her to come to the bank and withdraw money,” and claimed that she “did not know the names of the male subjects and only knew their ‘fake’ names.”

The suspect further said the men “asked for his account number and put money into his account,” but “did not tell him where the funds came from,” according to the affidavit.

The deputy allegedly informed Craig that she was under arrest before releasing her.

On January 29, Centralia police arrested Craig.

The affidavit states that after receiving the Miranda warning, the suspect allegedly stated that “the scheme began when she was contacted by an associate known as ‘Deniro,’ whom she had known for over a year after meeting him on social media.”

Shortly before the first incident, Deniro asked for the suspect’s bank account number. Although she said she was skeptical, according to the affidavit, Craig agreed to participate after she was told “the activity was legal” and that she would receive $1,000 for her help.

According to the affidavit, Craig said she was driven to Peak Credit Union by Deniro “and his associates.” On one occasion, the driver of the vehicle was a man named “Capone.”

Although she reportedly became suspicious “when the amounts reached $5,000,” Craig reportedly said she was “reassured that the activity was legitimate.”

Craig is scheduled to appear for a review hearing on Feb. 5 to determine her status as an attorney, as she intends to retain a private attorney.