Mall security guard accused of stealing credit card
PORT CHARLOTTE Fla June 22 2019 — A security guard at the Port Charlotte Town Center Mall is accused of picking up a lost credit card in the food court and keeping it for personal use.
Diana Lee Maldonado Perez, 32, reportedly used the stolen card to make purchases of $206.48 and $53.88 at Sam’s Club, $50 and $8 at Starbucks, $20 at what was designated “CCB” in Fort Myers, and two attempted purchases at Walmart for $206.88.
The victim told law enforcement she lost her Wells Fargo Visa Debit Card while getting food from Charlie’s Subs in the food court on May 5, according to the arrest report. She said her hands were full, and she could have dropped the card without noticing.
Later, she began getting multiple texts from the bank asking her to verify recent charges on the card.
When she looked online, she saw the charges she did not make and contacted law enforcement.
Surveillance video of the purchases at Sam’s Club showed an adult female wearing a yellow security uniform conducting the purchases. A still picture was printed from the video, and a BOLO was sent to other members of law enforcement.
Within minutes, the detective received numerous emails and phone calls stating the suspect was Perez, a woman employed by the mall as a security officer. The uniform she wore during the crime and on video is the same uniform worn currently by mall security officers, according to the report.
She was also identified in Walmart surveillance video attempting to make the declined purchases, again in her Mall Security Uniform.
Perez allegedly used a Sam’s Club card belonging to her wife’s aunt to make the purchases.
Her supervisor she checked in at 7:07 a.m. and checked out at 3:50 p.m. the day of the crime.
According to the supervisor, the protocol for finding or collecting personal items at the mall is to turn lost property into a lock box in her office. A lost/found property log sheet is also completed by the officer who finds the items, but no entry was made for the lost bank card on May 5 or 6.
Perez’s attorney was advised of charges against her, and she turned herself into the Charlotte County Jail on Wednesday at 3 p.m., according to the report. She is charged with fraudulent use of credit cards and possessing a stolen credit card.
She was released after posting $10,000 bond Thursday.
The mall’s security office did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday.
yoursun.com
