A St. Paul woman has been charged with teaming up with two other women to coerce a developmentally disabled man to use store charge cards, a credit card and a line of credit to buy them expensive gifts, including two cars totaling about $40,000, last summer.

Renita L. Satcher, 38, is charged in Dakota County District Court with two felony counts of theft by swindle. Her first court appearance is Jan. 28.

The victim's legal guardian told police that the man functions at the level of a 13-year-old.

According to the charges: The victim disappeared on July 18 with his car and called in sick to work the next day. On July 20, he didn't call in or show up to work. When he returned home, the guardian said, there were many store receipts in the car showing that he had spent large amounts of money, opened several lines of credit, applied for loans and requested a new credit card in his name.

When police in Rochester, where the man lives, talked to him, he said he'd met a girl named Ashley who told him they could date if he bought her things. The victim said the two of them met up with two other women calling themselves Ne Ne and Tatriana. Ashley told him she needed a car, so they went to a South St. Paul dealership and picked one out. Ne Ne helped him with the transaction and also helped him purchase the second car the next day in Inver Grove Heights, the complaint said.

Several people picked Satcher out of a photo lineup as the woman the victim knew as Ne Ne.

"[The victim] told police he initially bought things for the women so Ashley would like him and date him," the complaint said. "He said he later became suspicious, scared and believed the women might turn on him if he didn't purchase things for them. He said he just wanted to go home."

PAT PHEIFER