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Highlands Today

Ex-Employee Gets 3 Years For Fraudulent Returns

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By Dan  Fearson | Highlands Today

Published: February 9, 2008

SEBRING — A former employee of Goin' Postal, located at 3609 Sebring Parkway, was sentenced last Thursday to three years in prison for committing fraudulent returns at the shipping store.

Brenda Sue Espinoza, 42, of 4136 El Rado Ave., obtained more than $4,000 from the store by pocketing money obtained from customer shipments and fraudulently entering return transactions for merchandise.

According to Highlands County Sheriff's Office arrest reports, the business's owner reported 159 fraudulent returns occurring at his business from April 25, 2006 to Sept. 20, 2006.

Of the 159 fraudulent returns, 119 involved instances where Espinoza pocketed customer shipment money rather than putting it into the business's point of sale system, fraudulently listing the packages as returned.

The remaining fraudulent transactions involved instances where Espinoza processed fake returns for merchandise, such as stamps and boxes, allowing her to defraud the business and pocket money.

Although Espinoza pocketed transaction money from customers, only one shipment failed to reach its final destination.

In the one instance involving theft, a customer came into the store to ship a cell phone and a $100 bill to his daughter in Vermont. Espinoza, who was working at the time, waited on the customer and filled out shipping paperwork.

After a week the customer contacted Goin' Postal because the package never made it to Vermont. Employees then contacted UPS, who told him that they could not locate the package or a tracking number for it, so they reimbursed the customer.

Approximately three weeks later, Goin' Postal employees spotted the customer's open package while they were doing inventory. The phone was found, however, the money was missing.

Last December, Espinoza pleaded no contest to the charges of the theft of $300 or more but less than $5,000 and fraudulently obtaining property under $2,000. Highlands County Circuit Court Judge Peter Estrada handed down Espinoza's sentence on Thursday, during her disposition appearance.

Espinoza has prior theft convictions in Miami-Dade County. In 1998 she was convicted of grand theft and dealing stolen property. In 1999 she was convicted of two counts of grand theft and two counts of credit card fraud.

Espinoza was also sentenced to five years of probation following her release from prison.

The owner said that he did not perform a criminal background check on Espinoza prior to hiring her.

A March 26 restitution hearing has been set for Espinoza.

Arrest reports also indicate that Espinoza was employed as a housekeeper at a local hotel in Sebring.

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