PALM COAST, Fla. — A second suspect has been arrested in connection with a months-long investigation into an organized fraud scheme at a Popeyes restaurant in Palm Coast.
On October 15, the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office (FCSO) Fugitive Apprehension Unit, assisted by the Problem Area Crime Enforcement Unit, arrested Shaunta Johnson, 42, of Palm Coast, on an active felony warrant following a seven-month investigation led by FCSO’s General Assignment Unit.
Detectives determined that Johnson and her coworker, Chaniqua Richberg, 49, defrauded customers by fraudulently charging their credit cards while working the drive-thru. According to investigators, Johnson orchestrated the scheme to send commissary payments to her boyfriend, an inmate at Apalachee Correctional Institution’s West Unit in Sneads, Florida.
“Our detectives worked diligently to identify and arrest those responsible for defrauding unsuspecting Popeyes customers,” said Sheriff Rick Staly. “Thanks to the cooperation of the new owners of Popeyes, we were able to put the missing pieces together and arrest the mastermind in this case, in addition to her associate. While they won’t be joining friends already in prison, they’re on the fast track to sleeping in a cell.”
Johnson faces multiple felony charges, including organized scheme to defraud, fraudulent use of a credit card (three counts), unlawful use of a two-way communication device (three counts), and fraudulent use of personal identification information (three counts). She was booked into the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility, where she is being held without bond.
According to the Sheriff’s Office, Johnson has a lengthy criminal history, including prior arrests for fraud, larceny, drug offenses, and operating a childcare facility without a license.
Richberg, previously convicted of fraud in an unrelated Pennsylvania case, was arrested in April on similar charges and is currently out on bond.
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