An employee of the Fresco y Más supermarket located in the city of Homestead, in the southwest of Miami-Dade, was arrested and charged with running an organized fraud scheme that resulted in losses for the chain, according to Univision.
The woman arrested was identified as Maybel Alemán Alonso, 41 years old, who worked as a customer service associate at the establishment located at 27359 South Dixie Highway.
So far, the nationality of the accused has not been made public.
The investigation was initiated by the company itself after suspecting that Alonso was involved in activities that were causing losses to the store.
The chain's fraud investigator reviewed surveillance recordings from several days until he gathered sufficient evidence.
According to the arrest report, between July 15 and August 18, 40 incidents of irregular transactions attributed to the employee were identified.
The detected behaviors included not scanning all merchandise, performing fraudulent transaction cancellations, and taking or consuming products without paying.
The report adds that Alonso would have also canceled transactions processed by other employees, resulting in those sales going uncollected.
The losses identified by Fresco y Más amount to 486.44 dollars, according to the police report.
The charges he faces
Alonso was arrested and taken to the TGK county jail, although she was released after posting bail, without the need to appear before a judge.
He faces charges for organized fraud in an amount of less than 20,000 dollars, classified as a third-degree felony under section 817.034 of the Florida Statutes, punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine of up to 5,000 dollars.
He is also accused of theft amounting to between 100 and 750 dollars, a misdemeanor of the first degree.
The customers' reaction
Several regular customers of the establishment reacted to the news in interviews with the mentioned media outlet.
One of them pointed out that he has been visiting that store for years without having any issues until now.
"I have been coming to this store for about four or five years and I have never had a problem with anything or anyone. We are always constantly checking what comes out of the machine, and everything has always turned out well," he pointed out.
Another customer expressed their dissatisfaction with the situation and lamented that people do not take care of their jobs.
“With so many people searching for jobs and those who have them doing things that harm the country, it's not easy,” he stated.
Next judicial steps
Alonso has a conference scheduled with the prosecutor's office for this Thursday, August 20, when the judicial process is expected to move to the next stage.
This type of case is not isolated.
In April 2026, the manager of a Home Depot in Miami-Dade was arrested for an organized fraud scheme that processed at least 4,500 orders with unauthorized discounts, resulting in millions in losses for the company.
Fresco y Más is a Hispanic supermarket chain founded in 2016 to serve Latino and Caribbean communities in Florida, with 28 stores and four pharmacies located in the southern and central regions of the state.
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