Cashier accused of stealing $1,500 in phone cards to sell
A Fitchburg man who worked at the Citgo gas station and convenience store at 6702 Mineral Point Road has been arrested and charged with stealing numerous prepay phone cards from the business and selling them.
Antonio M. Ross, 34, who is currently on extended supervision on felony charges from 2002 which include recklessly endangering safety, allegedly stole $1,500 worth of phone cards on one day, and sold them for about one-quarter of their worth, a criminal complaint says.
Ross was charged with misdemeanor theft, but that could be upped to felony theft when the store owner and manager get done figuring out the total value of the thefts.
Owner Edward Francois, after showing Madison Police a printout which showed $1,500 in phone cards were stolen on Aug. 8, said that is more than the business would normally sell in a month.
According to the complaint, Ross is seen on the store surveillance video going to the machine used to activate the phone cards at a time when no one else is in the store.
After seeing that on the surveillance tape, auditors plan to match receipts from the transactions to the surveillance video.
Ross admitted to the scheme when questioned by Madison Police Officer Caleb Bedford. "He acknowledged that had been activating the minutes and printing off the receipts with the activation PIN numbers," Bedford is quoted in the complaint as saying.
Ross also said he had several of the receipts in his jacket, and Bedford found 19 of them. Ross told Bedford that he could sell $100 worth of cell phone minutes for $25, the complaint says.
He had receipts from cell phone plans for AT&T, GE Plus, Einstein Wireless, Virgin Mobile and Verizon Wireless, the complaint says.
