CENTRAL FLORIDA,None — Two Central Florida sisters wrote so many bad checks in so many cities and states that they caught the attention of the Secret Service.
Agents told WFTV's Berndt Petersen that sisters Lavitress and Baresha Williams, along with a friend, were at it again this past fall, stealing tens of thousands of dollars from dozens of Target stores.
The Secret Service was called in after Target security got wise to what the suspects were up to. But during the months of October and November, it seems no Target was safe from the three Orlando area residents.
The Secret Service has accused the trio of passing dozens of counterfeit traveler's checks at dozens of Target locations.
Shopping sprees stretched across four states in more than 40 cities in those states. In Central Florida, it included Targets in Orlando, Daytona Beach, Kissimmee, Casselberry, Titusville and Mount Dora.
Federal authorities said the phony checks ranged in value from $250 to $400, with more than $30,000 worth of items purchased. But instead of keeping the merchandise, the Secret Service said the suspects returned all of it, and pocketed the cash.
Target customers we talked to said returning an item is easy.
"Sometimes you don't even have to have the tag. They'll just take it back," one customer said.
The feds said the Williams sisters have been arrested numerous times over the last several years for similar types of crimes.
WFTV
