An assistant manager was taken into custody in a refund fraud scheme at a Central Florida store.
Deputies from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office arrested 22-year-old Justin Johnson after conducting a grand theft investigation at the Ace Hardware store at 1218 Finley Ave in Davenport.
The store owner phoned local deputies after observing an unusually high number of refunds. The questionable transactions ranged between $400 to $1,500. The total amount of fraudulent charges was about $7897.81.
During the investigation, deputies analyzed security footage and identified Johnson, who worked as an assistant manager at the time, as the individual responsible for each of the bogus returns. According to the evidence, Johnson made bogus sales and then processed the returns at his register; at the payment terminal, he utilized his phone to transfer the reimbursed funds to his personal account.
The store owner also stated that Johnson abruptly left his job immediately after the illegal transactions.
Deputies arrested Justin Johnson and charged him with grand theft over $5,000 but less than $10,000 and defrauding to get property under $20,000.
“This was a clear case of an employee abusing his position for personal gain,” Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd stated. “I’m proud of our deputies’ quick work and grateful to the business owner for reporting the suspicious activity.” We will always support our local businesses and punish offenders accountable.
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