St. Petersburg officer arrested, fired after Walmart fraud attempt
ST PETERSBURG, Fla. May 1 2021 A Florida police officer was fired after authorities said he tried to use a Texas woman’s credit card information to make purchases from Walmart.
St. Petersburg police fired, 25 on Wednesday after he was arrested on fraud charges.
Cain had been hired by the department in August.
“Due to his probationary status and the arrest, he was terminated without an internal investigation and/or Board hearing,” the St. Petersburg Police Department said in a statement.
Pinellas Park police notified the agency earlier this week that Cain was being investigated, authorities said. He turned himself in on Wednesday night and is charged with scheming to defraud.
Investigators said Cain got the woman’s Walmart app username and password through someone he met online.
On Feb. 11, records show he placed a $243.11 order through the app to pick up at a St. Petersburg Walmart store. The woman was notified of the purchase and canceled it before he picked the order up, police said.
The next day he placed a $161.87 order at a Pinellas Park Walmart store. Cain went in his Jeep to pick up the order, but the store had been alerted and canceled the order.
Investigators traced the purchases to Cain’s IP address. His phone number and email were attached to the victim’s account.
Cain posted a $5,000 bond and was released from jail. An attorney for him was not listed on court records.
