Couple Use Stolen Credit Cards To Buy Booze With 3-Year Old: Cops

SOUTHAMPTON, NY — A couple used stolen and counterfeit credit cards to buy more than 15 bottles of booze with their three-year old child in tow, police said.

According to Southampton Town Police, a report came in Tuesday at 6 p.m. about possible identity theft at Zabi’s Spirits Liquor Store in Southampton.

Officers conducting the initial investigation were told that after two people made purchases, the manager received a call from a victim reporting that he had been notified by his bank that his debit card may have been fraudulently used at the liquor store, police said.

The store manager provided police with a detailed description of the vehicle that the pair had left in and officers began to scour the area, police said.

A check of other retail establishments in the area led officers to believe that the duo might still be close by, police said.

Officers soon found the vehicle parked in front of another liquor store with Jeffery W. Curtis, 30, and Nefta S. Shand, 25, both of Hempstead, inside, along with their three-year old child, police said.

Curtis and Shand were arrested; a subsequent investigation by detectives revealed that they had more than 15 bottles of liquor purchased with stolen and fraudulent credit cards, police said. They also had several counterfeit credit cards, police said. The cards that had the name "Jeffery Curtis" printed on them were associated with several different valid credit accounts of unwitting victims, police said.

Curtis was charged with second degree forgery, a felony, second degree possession of a forged instrument, a felony, fourth degree criminal possession of stolen property, a felony, and petty larceny, a misdemeanor, police said.

Shand was charged with second degree forgery, a felony, and petty larceny, a misdemeanor, police said.

Detectives are continuing their investigation into the identity theft aspect of the case and future charges are expected, police said.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Southampton Town Police Detective Division at 631-702-2230.