Mother And Daughter Charged In $250K Staples E-Card Scam, Prosecutors Say

BROWNSVILLE, BROOKLYN — A mother and daughter stole more than $250,000 in electronic Staples gift cards, which they used to buy Gucci shoes, iPad Airs and other luxury items, according to prosecutors.

Rosemarie and Tashana Barnett, 55 and 30, have been arrested for scamming Staples employees out of about 700 e-gift cards between December, 2014, and September, 2016, according to the Brooklyn District Attorney’s office.

The mother-and-daughter duo tricked customer service reps into handing out the e-cards by sending them forging placement orders with fake billing addresses and various email addresses, said prosecutors.

The Barnetts also pretended to be customer service managers conducting a training exercise that involved sending out hundreds of e-cards without payment, prosecutors said.

The women used the cards to buy True Religion jeans, Ugg boots, Gucci shoes, multiple iPad airs and many other luxury items from Staples, Target, Foot Locker, American Eagle Outfitters and Nordstrom, said prosecutors.

The mother and daughter were arraigned on charges of grand larceny, computer tampering and falsifying business records in Brooklyn Criminal Court on Thursday, prosecutors said.

Bail was set at $100,000 and the Barnetts were ordered to return to court on Nov. 29, said prosecutors.

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