Suspect Made $12,000 In Illegal Credit Card Charges, Westport Cops Say

WESTPORT, CT — A 26-year-old Bridgeport woman was arrested this week on a warrant charging her with second-degree larceny and related violations, after Westport police said the suspect made more than $12,000 in fraudulent credit card charges to a local victim's account.

In addition to second-degree larceny, Keonte Cherry was also charged with the following:

• Illegally taking payment card
• Illegal use of credit card exceeding $500
• Receipt from illegal use of credit card
• Second-degree identity theft

Westport police began investigating the case last August, when a resident reported noticing several fraudulent charges on their credit card statement, which totaled more than $12,000.

"The complaint reported that one of the stores where fraudulent charges were made was Walgreens in Westport," said Lt. Eric Woods in a statement. "The investigating officer was able to pull surveillance footage of the fraudulent charge and determined that an employee, Keonte Cherry, had fraudulently used the credit card to purchase various gift cards. The Officer continued his investigation and identified various other locations where the card was used, and surveillance footage captured the same person, Keonte Cherry, fraudulently using the card."

Westport police obtained a warrant for Cherry's arrest, and she was taken into custody by Connecticut State Police and turned over to Westport authorities on Tuesday.

Cherry was released after posting a $10,000 bond, and she is scheduled to appear in Stamford Superior Court on May 10.