Police: Ex-Macy’s Employee Used Bad Checks for Purchases at Former Employer

Prosecutors accuse a New Hope woman and former Macy’s employee of using bad checks to buy more than $13,000 from Macy’s stores, including the one at Ridgedale Center, according to charging documents filed this month.

The Ridgedale Macy’s loss prevention manager told police on April 17 that two women were collaborating to make fraudulent purchases, Minnetonka Officer Sy Vanthavong wrote in the court documents.

The loss prevention manager said 28-year-old Shatara Laquanda Brown, a former Macy’s employee, was using her checking account to put money on the prepaid charge card of an existing Macy’s employee.

The man said Brown would give Macy’s a personal check to put money on the card via an electronic funds transfer. Brown would then use the card to buy Macy’s merchandise before the store could determine that her checking account didn’t have sufficient funds.

Investigators determined that she made 24 electronics funds transfers worth $13,388 between March 26 and April 17. Each of those was denied because of insufficient funds. Eight were at the Ridgedale Macy’s.

Prosecutors have charged Brown with felony issuance of a dishonored check—which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.