They bought $5K in Victoria Secret garb with counterfeit bills, then returned for a refund
Last year, two New York City men toured Victoria Secret stores in Charlotte and used counterfeit money to buy $5,000 worth of garments. The next day, they returned, seeking refunds in real cash, prosecutors say.
In response to those transactions, a federal judge on Friday demanded payment in full..
Shawayne Smart, 25, of The Bronx, N.Y., and Brandon Vernon, 23, of Norwalk, Conn., both pleaded guilty to counterfeiting and conspiracy to defraud the United States.
On Friday, U.S. District Judge Bob Conrad sentenced Vernon to two years probation, and eight months home confinement with electronic monitoring.
Smart received a four-month prison sentence followed by a year of supervised release, which will include six months of home confinement and electronic monitoring.
On July 12, 2017, federal authorities say the two men made a series of stops at Victoria Secrets throughout Charlotte.
They returned the next day to Carolina Place, seeking refunds — in legal tender this time — for their previous purchases.
A store clerk recognized the pair and recalled the suspicious bills they used for their buys, and notified a mall security officer, who happened to be in the store at the time, prosecutors say.
The pair pleaded guilty in March.
Victoria Secret is a worldwide leader for women’s intimate wear, and has spun off prime-time fashion shows and provocative videos to enhance its brand.
The stores are also popular gathering spots for thieves.
In June, someone stole 90 bras of varying sizes from a Victoria Secret store in Gastonia, the Observer previously reported.
In November, a woman in Myrtle Beach said, “Watch this” to another Victoria Secret shopper before ducking out with more than $1,000 in merchandise, according to the Sun News.
In October, two men wearing bonnets took $5,000 from the Victoria Secret in a Spartanburg mall, The State newspaper said.
And in Humble, Texas, a man was arrested and charged with taking a not-so-humble 612 pairs of women’s panties from a Victoria Secret store there, according to Houston TV station KTRK.
This story was originally published November 30, 2018 at 10:27 AM.