Miami-Dade sheriff’s deputies arrested two people after investigators said they used compromised benefit accounts to purchase more than $2,700 worth of merchandise at a Sam’s Club in Doral.
Romario Cornel Stewart, 32, and Myrthland Damien Ince, 33, were arrested Sunday after deputies and Walmart investigators conducted surveillance at the Sam’s Club along Northwest 13th Terrace, according to arrest reports.
Investigators with the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office Organized Retail Crimes Squad and Walmart Global Investigations had been investigating the fraudulent use of compromised Florida Electronic Benefit Transfer accounts and Nations Benefits accounts.
According to the reports, investigators had identified several people suspected of targeting Sam’s Club and Walmart locations across South Florida to make large purchases.
Deputies said Stewart was recognized from previous fraudulent transactions when he and Ince entered the Doral store Sunday.
Investigators said Stewart and Ince selected 20 containers of Tide liquid detergent, 18 packages of Café Bustelo, 70 packages of Spam and a package of Member’s Mark cashews.
The merchandise totaled $2,704.59, according to the reports.
Deputies said the pair took the items to a self-checkout register and paid using information from 10 compromised Nations Benefits accounts.
Investigators said the transaction was captured on surveillance video.
Stewart and Ince were detained after leaving the store, according to the reports.
During searches following their arrests, investigators said Ince was found with six debit cards that had been re-encoded with Nations Benefits account numbers.
Stewart was found with four re-encoded debit cards, deputies said.
Both were taken to the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.
Stewart and Ince each face 10 counts of fraudulent use of personal identification information, as well as charges of third-degree grand theft and public assistance fraud.
According to the arrest reports, both were being held without bond pending a bond hearing.
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