Westport Store Employee Accused Of Making $100,000 Worth Of Fraudulent Returns: Police

WESTPORT, CT — A 32-year-old Bridgeport woman was arrested on a larceny charge last week, after Westport police said she made nearly $100,000 worth of fraudulent merchandise returns at the store where she worked.

Maria Rosales was arrested Friday on a charge of first-degree larceny in connection with the alleged scam at Shoe Inn on Main Street in Westport.

The case began on May 7, when the store's owner alerted police of theft by an employee.

"The victim explained that he had become aware of the theft during the previous day when a customer had called the store inquiring about loyalty rewards," Westport Police Lt. Anthony Prezioso wrote in a statement. "While researching the customer’s issue, it was discovered that a merchandise return had been fraudulently processed against the customer’s account. The credit card the funds were returned to did not match the customer’s card used to make the initial purchase suggesting that an employee had manually overridden the system. Further investigation showed that a number of these suspected fraudulent returns had been made totaling an estimated $98,405.65."

Read More:

• 81-Year-Old Arrested In Vandalism Case: Police
• ICE Arrests Man During Operation That Left 1-Year-Old Alone In Vehicle
• Road-Rage Crash Left Motorcyclist Seriously Injured, 2 Charged: Police

Upon further investigation, Rosales was determined to be the employee allegedly responsible for the fraudulent returns, which led police to obtain the warrant for her arrest.

Rosales surrendered to police on Friday and was charged. She was released after posting bond on bail of $75,000, and is scheduled to appear in Stamford Superior Court on June 26.