Limerick Police Arrest 3 in Credit Card Scam

Three Philadelphia residents were arrested on October 9 in Limerick Township and charged with theft, identity theft and forgery after allegedly using falsified or stolen credit cards to purchase cigarettes and gift cards. 

According to an affidavit of probable cause filed in District Court 38-1-19, Charissa Reid and Zondra Holmes, both 49, and Eric Sackie, 22, all from Philadelphia, had gone to three Wawa stores and allegedly used multiple credit cards to make the purchases. 

The Wawa stores, two on Ridge Pike and one on Lewis Road and Linfield-Trappe Road, were all victimized in a period of 32 minutes on the evening of the ninth. 

In the affidavit, Corporal Fitz Duffy reported that he was approached by Wawa employees at the 451 West Ridge Pike store two weeks ago while working the day shift. The employees reported people making purchases with multiple credit cards. If a card was declined, the customer would use another card. 

"They knew something was wrong with what was happening, but they didn't know what the scam could be," Duffy wrote. 

Duffy wrote that the employees called police to report an identity theft, and when Duffy arrived he was told that Holmes had allegedly tried to use multiple cards and then left abruptly when asked for identification. Wawa employees described the car in which Holmes left.

Duffy sent another officer to the Wawa at Lewis Road and Linfield-Trappe Road, where Holmes and Sackie were found in the car described. The affidavit says that multiple gift cards and cartons of cigarettes were sitting in plain sight in the car.

Sales receipts and surveillance video showed that two women had reportedly made purchases seven minutes apart with the same card. Sackie had allegedly parked the car at both stores in an adjacent area, out of sight of employees and security cameras. 

Sackie and Holmes were both arrested. 

Reid was found while officers were going back and forth from the involved stores, according to the affidavit. As Reid was being transported, she allegedly tried to hide a marijuana pipe in the back seat of the patrol car. 

All three were arrested and charged with multiple counts of forgery, theft by deception, identity theft, and possessing an instrument of crime. Reid was also charged with possession of drug paraphernalia. 

Bail for Holmes and Reid was set at $100,000. Sackie's bail was set at $75,000.

All three are incarcerated pending a preliminary hearing.