Charges: Gas Station Worker Admits To Stealing From ATM To Support Drug Habit
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – A 26-year-old woman is accused of stealing over $40,000 from the ATM at the north metro gas station where she worked.
Alyssa Thompson, of Coon Rapids, is charged with one felony count of theft by swindle, court documents filed last week in Anoka County show.
According to a criminal complaint, Thompson admitted to police that she was taking money from the ATM deposits for nearly a year to support a heroin habit.
She was caught following a sting operation last month.
Her employers at the Coon Rapids gas station gave her more than 200 pre-marked $20 bills to put in the ATM. An immediate audit showed that nearly 50 of them were missing.
In a statement to authorities, Thompson said she'd steal hundreds of dollars from the machine and adjust the deposit logs as frequently as twice a week.
A loss prevention specialist found that about $44,000 was missing from deposits since last June, the complaint states.
If convicted of the theft charge, Thompson faces a maximum sentence of up to 20 years in prison and/or a $100,000 fine.