BROCKTON, Mass. — Two Taunton women are accused of stealing nearly $27,000 in products by using fake coupons at Stop & Shop supermarkets throughout Massachusetts and Rhode Island, and then selling the items online, Plymouth County District Attorney Tim Cruz said Tuesday.
Jacqueline White, 41, and Crystal Travis, 40, were both indicted by a Plymouth County grand jury on Tuesday on charges of one count each of larceny by false pretense by single scheme and larceny to induce parting with personal property, Cruz said. White faces an additional charge of organized retail theft.
The indictments came down after a months-long investigation by Hingham and Abington police, with assistance by the Coupon Information Center, a Florida-based nonprofit that fights coupon fraud.
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The indictments allege that from March 10 through June 2, White and Travis entered numerous Stop & Shop supermarkets in Massachusetts, and used counterfeit coupons to steal approximately $26,547 of products, Cruz said.
The indictments further allege that White and Travis ran a complex scheme using social media sites and apps like Facebook and Dropbox to purchase counterfeit coupons.
According to prosecutors, the two women committed the theft by passing counterfeit coupons to unsuspecting Stop & Shop cashiers. The fake coupons allegedly netted White and Travis steep discounts, sometimes undercutting the total retail value of the products.
For example, according to the indictment, on March 10, White and Travis used a Stop & Shop rewards card to purchase 366 items worth $1,658.28, Cruz said. The items included beverages, laundry detergent, hygiene products, and dishwash soap. By using fraudulent coupons, the supermarket bill was reduced by $1,655, to just $3.28.
According to investigators, White and Travis created high-quality, counterfeit coupons that contained barcodes and graphic designs that mirrored legitimate third-party coupons.
After leaving with the items, the pair posted photographs of the products on social media sites, namely Facebook, and offered to sell the goods at steeply-discounted prices, Cruz said. The women asked potential buyers to meet them at a location in Taunton, and pay them for the products in cash.
Prosecutors allege that the women bought products from Stop & Shop stores throughout the region and in neighboring Rhode Island, including in Quincy, Weymouth, Raynham, Plainville, Whitman, Abington, Pembroke, Norwell, Hingham, North Dartmouth, New Bedford, Sandwich, Brockton, and in East Providence, Rhode Island and Pawtucket, Rhode Island.
Prosecutors said that over a three-month timeframe, White and Travis accumulated the following products:
o 300 bottles of fabric freshener
o 56 bars of bath soap
o 188 bottles of fabric softener
o 226 bottles of laundry detergent
o 219 cans of air disinfectant
o 135 bottles of hand soap
o 22 skin care products
o 130 air fresheners
o 275 cases of anti-bacterial wipes
o 34 bottles of mouthwash
o 34 packages of paper towels
o 26 toothbrushes
o 21 tubes of hand cream
o 158 bottles of dish soap
On April 26, the Coupon Information Center notified White online that she had been identified as a person associated with illegal counterfeit coupon activities “and to cease activity,” Cruz said. Prosecutors allege that White continued on with the activity.
Both women will be arraigned in Brockton Superior Court at a later date.
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