Woman Charged With Stealing $6K From Credit Cards of Apple Valley Store Customers

A Minneapolis woman has been charged with credit-card fraud after authorities say she made more than $6,000 in fraudulent transactions on 98 customers’ credit cards within two weeks while working at an Apple Valley store.

Patrice Marie Thomas, 22, faces a felony charge of credit-card fraud, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine.

According to the criminal complaint, an Apple Valley Sam's Club store manager reported to on June 10 that Thomas, an employee, had been caught stealing money.

Beginning May 25, Thomas would swipe a customer’s credit card after an initial transaction, then process a second transaction for cash back and pocket the amount of the second fraudulent transaction from the cash register, according to the complaint.

Store management allegedly found out about the fraudulent transactions after a customer reported an unauthorized transaction on an account.

Managers confronted Thomas, who admitted in writing to the thefts, according to the complaint. She also admitted the thefts to police, telling them that she did it because she was short on money to pay bills and “had nowhere else to turn,” the complaint says.

The fraudulent transactions were completed on 98 different customer credit cards between May 25 and June 10, according to store records. The total amount of money stolen was $6,197.

Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect that Thomas was employed at the Sam's Club store in Apple Valley.