Two Century Liquor Store Employees Charged With Stealing Using Rewards Program

July 25, 2018

Two employees have been charged with stealing thousands of dollars in cash or product from a liquor store in Century in scheme involving shopper reward points.

Teresa Lachelle Burt, 41, and Latoya Trenise Washington, 31, were each charged with felony grand theft and felony fraud for the thefts from the Fusion liquor store next to the Food Giant on North Century Boulevard.

The store offers a shopper reward point program, awarding points for each dollar spent to a customer’s reward account. According to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, Burt and Washington would fraudulent assign shopper points to accounts and then reconcile daily transactions by taking possession of product or cash equal to the number of points.  Customers were unable to notice anything wrong with their reward transactions.

Burt was able to take $2,178 in product or cash from the store using the scheme, while Washington took $923 in product or cash, according to their arrest reports. Investigators were not able to determine from store records if the women took product, cash, or both.

Burt and Washington were released from the Escambia County Jail $7,500 bond each.

NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.

Comments

6 Responses to “Two Century Liquor Store Employees Charged With Stealing Using Rewards Program”

  1. Your mom on July 25th, 2018 12:12 pm

    These women better not have stole my points!!!

  2. James M on July 25th, 2018 8:54 am

    Economics lesson of the day: People respond to incentives – including employees!

  3. chris on July 25th, 2018 8:21 am

    Some of Century’s fine upstanding workforce that employers strive for.

  4. Bob C. on July 25th, 2018 7:06 am

    Why do these people use their creative talents to do wrong and steal?
    It takes a special sort of thought process to come up with a scheme, scam like this.
    At least they both appear to be very ashamed and remorseful for their crimes.
    Never knew liquor stores gave ‘reward points’ for purchases.
    Who knows, maybe next they’ll be giving out Get Out of Jail DUI passes.

  5. Mike Honcho on July 25th, 2018 7:01 am

    Fine outstanding century citizens

  6. Citizen on July 25th, 2018 3:12 am

    Didndonuffin

Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News