NASSAU-A pre-school teacher and her cousin admitted to participating in a scheme to buy groceries using forged Quality Stamps.
Staff at Super Value called police on June 4 when Tromar Sweeting, a teacher at T G Glover Primary School, and Bendra Thompson tried to use 138 stamp cards to purchase groceries valued at $105.19.
The court heard Sweeting had bought $100.87 in groceries from Super Value on Robinson Road using fake stamps on June 3.
Chief Magistrate Joyann Ferguson-Pratt told Sweeting that she acted out of greed and not need.
Ferguson-Pratt said that civil servants were fortunate to receive their full salaries, although they weren’t working during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The magistrate said Sweeting’s crime caused store owners to increase already high prices.
In the case where she acted alone, Ferguson-Pratt ordered Sweeting to reimburse Super Value for the groceries she had obtained by fraud.
Additionally, the magistrate placed her on probation for one year.
After successfully scamming the grocery store, Sweeting went to Super Value on East Street South with Thompson.
However, staff realised that the 138 stamp cards were forgeries.
What’s more, they found 110 additional fake stamp cards on Thompson.
The court placed Thompson and Sweeting on probation for 12 months.
However, she fined Sweeting $500 or three months in prison for the attempted fraud.
The magistrate said Sweeting was a repeat offender.
The women claimed they received the fake stamps from Thompson’s boyfriend.