A McKean County couple charged with attempting to scam a Coaldale woman say they also are victims.

Joseph and Catherine Loveless, Turtlepoint, appeared before District Magistrate Stephen Bayer for a preliminary arraignment Monday.

“I don’t understand. We didn’t do anything,” Catherine Loveless said as she sat next to her husband.

Bayer said they are charged with “fairly serious crimes of theft” for their role in attempting to cash three checks made out to them.

Coaldale Police say a woman, whose age was not given, received a phone call Aug. 26 saying she won the Publishers Clearing House sweepstakes and prizes and included a check worth $10.8 million and two Mercedes-Benz vehicles.

She was told to send three checks to the couple. Two were for $885. One was for $85,000. When attempting to cash the larger one, the bank made a phone call to the daughter of the victim. The check was denied.

Bank officials have police photos of the couple. Identification was provided for Catherine Loveless and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation verified her license. A photo of Joseph Loveless was cross-checked against his license and matched.

Both are charged with theft by unlawful taking, theft by deception and criminal use of a communications facility. Police filed charges Jan. 25.

Joseph Loveless was arrested at his home, he said. Catherine turned herself in to state police. His bail was set at $10,000. She was released on her own recognizance because of a medical issue, an employee of Judge David Engman, McKean County, said.

A friend posted bail on his behalf.

Bayer told the couple the details of the case will be presented at a preliminary hearing set for 11:30 a.m. Feb. 22.

“Today is not about proving the case,” Bayer said.

Normally, the bail would be set at an arraignment but that was done in McKean County.

He said they will need to be fingerprinted before they return for the next hearing. Loveless said they will request a public defender.

Outside Bayer’s office, the couple said they too believed they had won the sweepstakes. Catherine Loveless said she received a call June 18 from someone saying she won.

“I should have hung up on him,” she said.

Joseph Loveless claimed they were told of winning $8.5 million and a car.

When the couple received the checks - especially the big one - they believed it was rightfully theirs.

“Oh, boy we got some money,” Joseph Loveless said.

He could not explain why the check was made from someone he never met. He said they repaid the smaller checks. Both said they had not been to Schuylkill County before Monday.

Christian Pekarski, the man who posted bail for Loveless, drove them to the Mauch Chunk Trust Bank in Jim Thorpe to cash the check.

Sara Carr, fiancee of Pekarski, said she told them it was likely a scam.

“I didn’t know what to think,” Loveless said when police arrested him.

He said they too have evidence they were being targeted. Printed out messages and receipts sent to a man in Jamaica show amounts of $800, $400 and $593 were mailed.

Loveless said they sent $5,000 to a man regarding the alleged winnings.

Pekarski said the couple lead “a simple life” and perhaps are too trusting. Catherine Loveless said she was “gullible.”

“They’re not smart enough to pull a scam off,” Pekarski said.