Whew! What a life!

I don't know where to begin, much less where or what to do.

Here is the story as I got it from Merrit.

She says, while she was incarcerated, two checks hit her school funding account.  One was for $2200, and one for $1700.

When she was in Roscoe, she wrote four checks.  one to her Mom for $2000, one to Lou
Ann (her maternal grandmother) for $1700, one to me for $1500, and one to Memama for $700. 

I don't think any of us believed the checks would clear the bank.  In  fact, I saw Lou Ann at the grocery store the week after Merrit distributed the checks and Lou Ann told me they had asked their bank to check on the funds in Merrit's account and learned that funds were not available to cover their check.  In Lou Ann's own terms, "The check wasn't worth the paper it was printed on.
.

I personally saw all four checks and I am positive about the amounts.Upon further review, Merrit talked with Higher One, the bank at her school.  They finally determined that one check that cleared for $2200 was cashed by her Mother, and the $1700 check  that cycled through was to her maternal grandmother.

Merrit was counting on getting $6100 in living assistance, childcare, groceries etc.... . However, she received only $3800 and some odd dollars, resulting in her account being over drawn fifteen cents.

The remaining money ($2600) remains in her account pending her getting a job.  I don't understand it but somehow, if there is a work study job available this money would be made available in correlation to hours worked.  However, since no jobs are available, if I understand it right, if she gets a minimum wage job the school funding will supplement her pay.

But, in the mean time she is in a real pickle moneywise.

After the last CPS hearing Merrit, her Mother and I went to lunch and to talk.  Merrit's mother and I had talked about splitting the cost to bail Merrit out of jail earlier in the week, ($300+) dollars, however I learned at lunch that Merrit had given her attorney a check for a $!000 dollars that we all knew was no good.  So I picked up lunch and wrote a replacement check to the attorney.  For obvious reasons I didn't repay Merrit's Mom for half the bail money.  However, I would be glad to if she wants to pay half the meal and half the attorney!  (LOL).

I asked Merrit's Mom why she thought she should get paid such an amount and her mother get paid her amount and no one else receive any payment.  My suggestion would have been for them to take a partial payment and still leave a little money for Merrit to operate on.  I didn't ever expect to be repaid, nor did Memama, and I still hold those checks, having never presented them for payment.

I think we need to set up a website, maybe www.IgaveMerritmoney.com where we can have some interaction between the parties that Merrit asks for money from.  I get the feeling often times Merrit may use the same ruse to get money from multiple parties.

I for one have given deep and given often, and I have told her if I ever find she has lied or conned me, that will be the end.

Her latest discovery is moneygram.  Of course she has no idea about the fees charged.

Some how, some way, some day, this has to stop.

FATHER, I lift up Merrit for YOUR blessings and ask that YOU will make her open her eyes and see, and realize what it takes to make it in this world.