Three people are charged after staff at Sheetz in Palmer Township called police to report fraudulent credit card purchases of gift cards, according to court records.
Township police caught up with the trio shortly after they were called about 3:10 a.m. Thursday from the gas station and convenience store at 3501 Nazareth Road (Route 248).
They were stopped in a Dodge Charger with the Virginia registration ZOEGANG belonging to one of the suspects, Darnell J. Johnson, 33, of Brooklyn, New York.
Initially, Johnson and codefendants Donovan A. Guscott, 22, also of Brooklyn, and Angelica R. Acevado, 22, of Reading, Pennsylvania, denied having just been at Sheetz, police said. But police spotted a yellow Sheetz bag on the driver’s side rear passenger seat, and Acevado claimed she had bought a hot dog there, court records say.
She provided police with a Visa debit card that she claimed to have used to pay, but information from Sheetz determined another card was used, records say. Acevado provided another Visa card, but a check revealed the bank identification number was fraudulent, police said.
Police took the three into custody and reviewed Sheetz surveillance showing the Charger park across the street from the store and Johnson, Guscott and Acevado crossing over to the store, records say. The three presented to the clerk multiple cards, some of which didn’t work, and purchased $25 Amazon gift cards and sundry snacks and beverages, according to police.
A search of the Charger turned up $3,300 worth of gift cards for iTunes, Home Depot, Children’s Place, Lowe’s and Amazon, police said.
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Johnson, Guscott and Acevado were arraigned before District Judge John Capobianco on charges of access device fraud, possession of an instrument of crime, receiving stolen property and conspiracy.
They were sent to Northampton County Prison in lieu of $50,000 bail each for Johnson and Guscott and $20,000 bail for Acevado. They face preliminary hearings tentatively scheduled Feb. 23.
Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @KurtBresswein. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
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