Wal-Mart employee arrested for fraud
On Nov. 11, 2011, the Lee County Sheriff Office responded to a compliant made via a land line in reference to a credit card fraud. The victim advised that she and her mother were shopping at the Wal-Mart in North Fort Myers. The victim placed her purse in the shopping cart and left it while she assisted a person in a wheelchair. The purse turned up missing after that. The victim did not notice the purse was missing until later in the day. The case was subsequently assigned to Economic Crimes Unit.
On May 21, 2012 Detectives with the Lee County Sheriffs Office Economic Crimes Unit were assigned to investigate a case where a victim’s wallet had been stolen from a motorized shopping cart while the victim was shopping at the Wal-Mart located at 545 Pine Island Road. The investigation revealed a Wal-Mart employee, Emmanuel Joseph who brings the shopping carts in from the parking lot, had fraudulently used the victim’s credit cards at several businesses in North Fort Myers and Cape Coral to include the Wal-Mart on Del Prado Boulevard.
Emmanuel Joseph was positively identified in a photo line up that was presented to the cashiers who had conducted the transactions. It was learned during the investigation Emmanuel Joseph was a suspect in a similar case that occurred in November 2011 in Lee County.
On June 6, 2012 Emmanuel Joseph was placed under arrest. Emmanuel Joseph gave numerous stories as to why he had used the victim’s credit cards and ultimately admitted to committing the crime.
Joseph was transported to the Lee County Jail.
An inmate photo and additional information is available by visiting the Sheriff’s Office website at www.sheriffleefl.org and clicking on the Arrest Search button on the home page. Media inquiries are directed to Public Information Office at 239-477-1340.