Two individuals allegedly used $100 counterfeit payments at dozens of In-N-Out Burger eating places in Southern California in a wide-reaching rip-off.
Glendale police officers stated in an announcement Friday that 26-year-old Tatiyanna Foster of Lengthy Seaside was taken into custody final month. One other suspect, 24-year-old Auriona Lewis, additionally of Lengthy Seaside, was arrested in October.
Police launched photos of $100 payments used to buy a $2.53 order of fries and a $5.93 order of a Flying Dutchman.
The Los Angeles County district legal professional’s workplace charged Lewis with felony counterfeiting and grand theft in November.
Elizabeth Lashley-Haynes, Lewis’ public defender, stated that her consumer is 25 years outdated and is “presumed harmless.”
She stated prosecutors may have introduced misdemeanor expenses, however they didn’t.
“The actual story is about why are Black individuals disproportionally charged with felonies in Los Angeles County,” Lashley-Haynes stated.
The district legal professional’s workplace stated in an announcement that it “doesn’t cost people primarily based on their background or identification.
“Our charging choices are primarily based solely on the information, proof and circumstances of the crime and the legislation.”
Glendale police stated that Lewis was arrested in Palmdale in an operation involving the U.S. Marshals Activity Drive. Foster is anticipated in courtroom later this month, officers stated.
”Lewis was discovered to be in possession of counterfeit payments matching these used within the Glendale incident, together with quite a few reward playing cards and transaction receipts believed to be related to related fraudulent exercise,” based on a police assertion.
A consultant for In-N-Out Burger advised KTLA-TV that eating places in Riverside, San Bernardino and San Diego counties had been additionally focused by the alleged rip-off.
“Their dedication and experience resulted within the identification and apprehension of the suspects, serving to to guard our enterprise and our communities,” In-N-Out Chief Operations Officer Denny Warnick stated. “We drastically worth the assist of legislation enforcement and respect the very important position they play in making our communities stronger and safer locations to reside.”
The corporate, opened in 1948 in Baldwin Park, has eating places in 9 states.
An Oakland location closed in 2024, with the proprietor blaming crime and sluggish police response instances.
Firm Chief Government Lynsi Snyder introduced final yr that she deliberate to relocate her household to Tennessee, though the burger chain’s headquarters will stay in California.