WATERVILLE, Maine — A brother and sister duo from Hempstead, New York, are facing a felony theft charge after allegedly purchasing over $8,000 in gift cards with fraudulent credit cards, according to police.
Nelcie Souffrant, 25, and Nickson Souffrant, 26, are both accused of theft by deception, a Class C felony, according to Waterville Police Chief Joseph Massey.
At around 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, police were notified by a Rite Aid employee of a woman attempting to buy gift cards and pay for them with credit cards, Massey said.
As police converged, a woman later identified as Nelcie Souffrant was walking out, and when asked for identification, she took off running, according to Massey.
Souffrant darted across the parking lot, across Center Street and into another parking lot before running into a fence, where officers caught up to her, the police chief said.
As Nelcie Souffrant was being apprehended, a police sergeant spotted a vehicle with Massachusetts plates in the Rite Aid lot, and the driver, identified as Nickson Souffrant, stated he was waiting for his sister, according to Massey.
A large number of credit cards and gift cards were found in the woman’s purse, and Massey said neither suspect would cooperate as to how the cards were acquired, and the Secret Service, which investigates credit card scams, was called in to assist in the investigation, Massey said.
Authorities determined that approximately 44 Visa gift cards, which can be used to purchase items at any store, were purchased with fraudulent credit cards, and Massey said the gift cards totaled $8,000 in value.
The chief added that police in Bangor and Newport had similar incidents reported earlier in the day, but the suspects had left before officers could arrive.
“We’ve contacted those agencies and told them we have two people under arrest,” Massey said.
Both Souffrants are being held on $50,000 bail at the Kennebec County Jail. Nelcie Souffrant was also charged with failing to submit to arrest for allegedly running from the police.
