A 34-year-old Publix employee was arrested in Ocala after she was accused of using a co-worker’s credit card to make fraudulent purchases.
On Saturday, February 25, a Marion County Sheriff’s Office deputy responded to a local Publix in reference to a theft and fraud incident. Upon arrival, the deputy made contact with the female victim who advised that she is an employee at the grocery store, according to the MCSO report.
Shortly after the victim left work on Saturday, she advised that she began receiving alerts on her cellphone that her credit card was being used. She told the deputy that she checked her purse and realized that her credit card was missing.
The MCSO report stated that the victim learned that two unauthorized transactions had occurred at the Publix she works at, and her credit card had been charged on Friday, February 23 in the amount of $27.70 at 7:52 a.m. and $20.76 at 9:03 a.m.
On Saturday, March 1, the victim provided the above details of the two transactions to an MCSO corporal, and the corporal responded to the Publix where those purchases were made. One of the store’s managers provided video surveillance and receipts from the time of the incident.
In the MCSO report, the corporal noted that a woman, later identified as Suleika Maldonado Gonzalez, was observed using the victim’s credit card to make the two purchases, totaling $27.70 and $20.76. The corporal also observed that Gonzalez attempted a third transaction using the victim’s credit card, but it was declined.
The manager told the corporal that the victim’s wallet had been left inside the store’s break room prior to the fraudulent transactions. The corporal showed the manager a photo of Gonzalez, and the manager confirmed that she is a store employee and was working with the victim on February 23, according to the MCSO report.
On Tuesday, March 7, the victim provided MCSO with a screenshot of her credit card statement, which showed her card had been used to make the $27.70 purchase at Publix. The MCSO report stated that four other transactions were also attempted on February 23 using the victim’s credit card, including an online transaction totaling $952.29 on Walmart’s website, but those additional transactions were denied.
Gonzalez was arrested, transported to Marion County Jail, and she was later released on $4,000 bond. She is facing a felony charge for fraudulent use of another person’s ID without consent, along with misdemeanor charges for fraudulent use of a credit card – two or fewer times in six months (less than $100) and second degree petit theft (first offense).
A court date has not been scheduled yet, according to jail records.