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Taunton woman pleads guilty to counterfeit coupons scheme
Jacqueline White pleaded guilty to using fake coupons to steal nearly $27,000 in products, according to prosecutors.
A Taunton woman pleaded guilty in Brockton Superior Court Thursday to participating in an organized counterfeit coupon operation that stole nearly $27,000 in product discounts, according to prosecutors.
Jacqueline White pleaded guilty to one count of larceny by false pretense under a single scheme and was sentenced to two and half years in prison, but will have her sentence suspended for three years, the Plymouth District Attorney’s office said in a statement. White was also charged with larceny to induce parting with personal property and organized retail theft.
White and Crystal Travis, the second defendant, were the subject of a months-long investigation conducted by the Hingham and Abington police departments. They found that the two women stole about $26,547 worth of products from “numerous” Stop & Shop stores between March 10, 2023, and June 2, 2023, by using fake coupons to reduce their cost to almost nothing.
According to the original indictment, White and Travis used a Stop & Shop rewards card to purchase 366 items worth $1,658.28 on March 10, 2023. These items included beverages, laundry detergent, hygiene products, and dishwasher soap. Using fraudulent coupons, the pair was able to get the amount owed for the items down to $3.28.
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The Coupon Information Center, a non-profit organization working to stop coupon fraud that supported the investigation, alerted White on April 26, 2023, that she had been flagged for illegal activity. White continued for months despite the warning to cease the activity, authorities told Boston.com in 2023.
White and Travis made counterfeit coupons with barcodes and graphic designs that replicated third-party coupons. It is alleged that the women also used social media sites like Facebook and Dropbox to operate a “complex scheme” to purchase fraudulent coupons, the district attorney’s office said.
Travis was given a continuance without a finding in Plymouth Superior Court in June, according to the statement.
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