Two charged after credit card misuse

MONTICELLO — Sheriff’s deputies last week charged a Wal-Mart cashier and her friend with using a customer’s credit card to buy a computer.

Sullivan County sheriff’s detective Don Starner said Jeanine M. Keller, 34, of Kiamesha Lake, was working as a cashier at the Town of Thompson Wal-Mart. A customer came in, police said, bought goods with a credit card and forgot the card when he left.

Keller allegedly passed the man’s credit card to her friend, Taleah R. Phelps, 21, also of Kiamesha Lake. In the 45 minutes between the time the card was lost and reported lost, Phelps allegedly used the card to buy near $1000 of computer equipment at the same store, police said.

Starner said the theft was uncovered because the customer reported the loss of the card to police instead of simply canceling the card. Credit card records traced the unauthorized purchases to Wal-Mart and store security camera video showed Phelps making the purchases.

Police charged Keller and Phelps with felony, fourth-degree grand larceny. They were held pending arraignment in Thompson Town Court.

Starner emphasized the importance of consumers making certain to verify the return of their credit cards after use in purchase.