4 Arrested in Alleged Credit Card Scam: Westport Police

WESTPORT, CT - Four people were arrested in Westport on May 27 after they allegedly tried to buy hundreds of dollars worth of alcohol using fraudulent credit cards, according to police.

The incident occurred at about 7:20 p.m. at Castle Wine & Spirits on the Post Road East. Store personnel alerted police that four people - two from New York and two from Louisiana - were trying to buy alcohol with what were believed to be fake credit cards.

When confronted by store employees, the four fled in a red Mazda bearing Maryland license plates, according to police, and were apprehended a short while later on the Sherwood Island Connector.

"All four suspects were in the vehicle and were positively identified as the ones who were at Castle Wine & Spirits a short time earlier," wrote Lt. David Farrell in a statement. "They were found to be in possession of a number of fraudulent credit cards as well as several bottles of liquor."

Arrested were the following:

Monty Payne, 34, of Queens, NY, on charges of: Larceny in the 6th Degree; Conspiracy to Commit Larceny in the 6th Degree; 2 counts of Forgery in the 3rd Degree; Forgery in the 2nd Degree; 22 counts of Unlawful Completion or Reproduction of a Credit Card; Criminal Impersonation; Identity Theft in the 3rd Degree; and Illegal Use of a Credit Card. He was held in lieu of a $100,000 bond.

Ariana Burton, 22, of Hammond, Louisiana, on charges of: Larceny in the 6th Degree; Conspiracy to Commit Larceny in the 6th Degree; 22 counts of Unlawful Completion or Reproduction of a Credit Card; and Illegal Use of a Credit Card. She was held in lieu of a $25,000 bond.

Tamara Magee, 20, of Ponchatoula, Louisiana, on charges of: Larceny in the 6th Degree; Conspiracy to Commit Larceny in the 6th Degree; 22 counts of Unlawful Completion or Reproduction of a Credit Card; Illegal Use of a Credit Card; Identity Theft in the 3rd Degree; Forgery in the 2nd Degree; and Criminal Impersonation. She was held in lieu of a $25,000 bond.

Kathyling Pena, 34, of Brooklyn, NY, on charges of: Larceny in the 6th Degree; Conspiracy to Commit Larceny in the 6th Degree; 22 counts of Unlawful Completion or Reproduction of a Credit Card; and Illegal Use of a Credit Card. She was held in lieu of a $25,000 bond.