GREEN BAY, Wis. (WFRV) – A woman from Green Bay has officially been charged after a monthslong investigation where she ended up admitting to stealing someone’s debit card information while she worked at an auto repair shop.
According to a criminal complaint obtained by Local 5, 30-year-old Josephine Martinez-Vera is facing 18 charges related to theft and fraud. On July 6 an officer with the De Pere Police Department responded to a fraud complaint.
The victim told authorities that he saw multiple charges on his bank account that he did not use his debit card for. The complaint says that there were eight transactions in total, all of which were made at Festival Foods in Suamico.
Using surveillance footage, authorities were able to identify the suspect as Martinez-Vera. When authorities contacted her, she reportedly admitted to picking up the grocery mobile orders but claimed that she did so because of a Craigslist Advertisement for grocery pickups.
Authorities also discovered that a lot of the purchases included gift cards. When authorities asked to search her phone, she reportedly turned over a new phone. When asked where her old phone was, she said it was no longer in her possession.
The complaint says that authorities found her old phone that same day in the parking lot in her vehicle. A search of the phone later showed that Martinez-Vera searched topics online that included whether authorities can recover deleted text messages if the sim card was switched to a new phone. As well as how to create fake text messages with a previous day and time.
On August 17, authorities spoke with the manager of an auto repair shop in Green Bay who said that Martinez-Vera previously worked as a receptionist there. She was later fired after she was found allegedly stealing money from a customer’s vehicle.
The complaint says that on August 21, Martinez-Vera was arrested and gave a written statement.
In that statement, she says that she was working at the auto repair shop and went into the computer system and looked until she found a contact that had card information and the three-digit security code.
She also said that she made eight total purchases at Festival Foods using the stolen debit card information. It was also stated that she took pictures of other cards and tried them, but they did not work.
Her statement also admitted to making up the story about picking up groceries for someone else.
Martinez-Vera is charged with the following:
- Theft by Acquisition of a Credit Card, Repeater
- Misdemeanor
- Up to nine months in prison (Can be increased by two years due to repeater)
- Financial Transaction Card – Fraudulent Use (< $2,500), Repeater
- Misdemeanor
- Up to nine months in prison (Can be increased by two years due to repeater)
- Financial Transaction Card – Fraudulent Use (< $2,500), Repeater
- Misdemeanor
- Up to nine months in prison (Can be increased by two years due to repeater)
- Financial Transaction Card – Fraudulent Use (< $2,500), Repeater
- Misdemeanor
- Up to nine months in prison (Can be increased by two years due to repeater)
- Financial Transaction Card – Fraudulent Use (< $2,500), Repeater
- Misdemeanor
- Up to nine months in prison (Can be increased by two years due to repeater)
- Financial Transaction Card – Fraudulent Use (< $2,500), Repeater
- Misdemeanor
- Up to nine months in prison (Can be increased by two years due to repeater)
- Financial Transaction Card – Fraudulent Use (< $2,500), Repeater
- Misdemeanor
- Up to nine months in prison (Can be increased by two years due to repeater)
- Financial Transaction Card – Fraudulent Use (< $2,500), Repeater
- Misdemeanor
- Up to nine months in prison (Can be increased by two years due to repeater)
- Financial Transaction Card – Fraudulent Use (< $2,500), Repeater
- Misdemeanor
- Up to nine months in prison (Can be increased by two years due to repeater)
- Misappropriation of Personal Identifying Information or Documents, Repeater
- Felony
- Up to six years in prison (Can be increased by four years due to repeater)
- Misappropriation of Personal Identifying Information or Documents, Repeater
- Felony
- Up to six years in prison (Can be increased by four years due to repeater)
- Misappropriation of Personal Identifying Information or Documents, Repeater
- Felony
- Up to six years in prison (Can be increased by four years due to repeater)
- Misappropriation of Personal Identifying Information or Documents, Repeater
- Felony
- Up to six years in prison (Can be increased by four years due to repeater)
- Misappropriation of Personal Identifying Information or Documents, Repeater
- Felony
- Up to six years in prison (Can be increased by four years due to repeater)
- Misappropriation of Personal Identifying Information or Documents, Repeater
- Felony
- Up to six years in prison (Can be increased by four years due to repeater)
- Misappropriation of Personal Identifying Information or Documents, Repeater
- Felony
- Up to six years in prison (Can be increased by four years due to repeater)
- Obstructing an Officer, Repeater
- Misdemeanor
- Up to nine months in prison (Can be increased by two years due to repeater)
- Misappropriation of Personal Identifying Information or Documents, Repeater
- Felony
- Up to six years in prison (Can be increased by four years due to repeater)
Court records show that Martinez-Vera was in court on August 23 for her preliminary hearing. She signed her signature bond which was set at $10,000 and is due back in court on October 4 for her adjourned initial appearance.
No additional information was provided.
