Crime & Safety

Police: Rite Aid Clerk Used Customer's Credit Cards

Store employee accused of taking wallet off of counter and using a debit and credit card to spend more than $1,300.

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An employee of the drug store in South Bethlehem is accused of taking credit cards from a wallet left on a store counter and using them to make more than $1,300 in purchases over the next three days, according to court papers.

Genesis Lee Rodriguez, 21, of 929 Sullivan St., Bethlehem, is facing three felony counts, including forgery, for allegedly signing the name of her victim, student Rujun Wang, court records say.

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According to the arrest warrant, the events unfolded like this:

Wang discovered multiple unauthorized charges to his debit card and a credit card on Aug. 30 and reported those discrepancies to Lehigh University Police.

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Through an investigation, Lehigh Police were able to determine that Wang had misplaced the wallet on Aug. 28 and the store at 104 E. Third St. was the last place he had it.

By looking at surveillance video at the stores where unauthorized purchases were made, police were able to identify Rodriguez as a likely suspect. Rodriguez is an employee of the Rite Aid where the wallet was misplaced.

Rodriguez and an accomplice police identified as her boyfriend, Angel Manuel Ortiz-Caraballo, who lives at the same address as Rodriguez, made nine separate purchases totaling $1,355.66 at , Redbox, , , and Pizza Como.

Rodriguez admitted to taking the wallet from a counter at Rite Aid in an interview with police.

Rodriguez was charged Tuesday with access device fraud, conspiracy, forgery, theft and receiving stolen property. She was arraigned before and released on unsecured bail.


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