Boca Raton Police: Macy's employee stole $69K in items, store credit

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Police in Boca Raton say a Macy's employee has been arrested after giving his girlfriend nearly $70,000 worth of unpaid merchandise and unauthorized store credits.

The South Florida Sun Sentinel reports 55-year-old Joe Dieudonne was arrested Saturday and charged with grand theft and organized fraud.

Dieudonne is accused of allowing his girlfriend to make false returns on items she never purchased for store credit. He is also accused of giving the woman clothing that she didn't pay for.

Store managers noticed the theft Friday and discovered Dieudonne had been stealing from the store since July 2015.

Authorities say Dieudonne told detectives his girlfriend received about $54,000 in merchandise and that he authorized about $15,000 in false returns to her credit card.

It wasn't clear if he had retained an attorney.

Cox Media Group