A Sunday afternoon run to the Costco on Tamarack Avenue in South Windsor ended with handcuffs instead of bulk bargains, after employees reported two shoppers trying to run multiple payment cards at the self-checkout, according to police.
Officers arrived around 3:53 p.m. and recovered 28 credit cards, each registered to different names, then took both suspects into custody. Police said the pair were held on $250,000 bonds and were due to appear in Superior Court in Manchester.
South Windsor police identified the suspects as 34-year-old Kasheem M. Williams of Brooklyn and 35-year-old Brittany A. Howard of the Bronx. According to Journal Inquirer, they face charges including second-degree larceny, 28 counts of payment-card theft, third-degree identity theft and third-degree conspiracy to commit identity theft. Police also said both had outstanding extraditable arrest warrants, with Williams wanted on burglary, strangulation and assault charges and Howard wanted in connection with credit-card theft. Both were scheduled to appear in court Monday.
Police Say Costco Crew Tried Same Move Nearby
Employees told investigators the two “had just attempted the same thing at Costco in Enfield,” South Windsor police said, according to Journal Inquirer. Officers recovered the stack of payment cards while responding to a report of suspicious activity at the South Windsor warehouse.
Not a One-Off: Card Fraud Cases Stack Up
The arrest is the latest in a run of payment-card and identity-fraud cases reported around the region this year. In February, WFSB reported that a New York woman was accused of using a stolen South Windsor bank card to withdraw about $27,000. Then in May, a stolen-vehicle stop at a South Windsor Target turned up a dozen stolen debit cards, according to WFSB.
What Happens Next
The case is now headed through the state court system in Manchester, where prosecutors will review the arrests and consider formal charges and next steps. South Windsor police say the investigation remains open and that more details could be released as the court process moves forward.
