A McDonald’s manager in Brookland is facing charges after allegedly using an unissued debit card to withdraw $760 from an employee’s payroll account. The allegations are detailed in a probable cause affidavit obtained through court records.
Craighead County District Judge Thomas Fowler ruled on Monday that there is sufficient cause to charge Saundra Deettalynn Carcione with several offenses, including financial identity fraud, a Class C felony; theft of property involving credit or debit cards, a Class D felony; and fraudulent use of a forged credit card or card number, which is a Class A misdemeanor. Carcione’s bond was set at $35,000 cash or surety. She is scheduled to appear in court on Dec. 16.
According to the affidavit, the case began on Aug. 14 when a Brookland police detective met with a McDonald’s employee and their parent regarding an unauthorized withdrawal. The employee, who utilized a payroll debit card through the restaurant, reported that Carcione had assisted with setting up the card. Recently, the employee stated Carcione had been seen rummaging through the worker’s purse during a shift. Carcione reportedly claimed at the time that she was placing the employee’s keys back in the purse.
The employee noticed the issue two days later while in Memphis, Tenn., after receiving a scheduled payroll deposit on Aug. 12. Within 30 minutes of the deposit, $760 had been withdrawn through two ATM transactions at a Unico Bank branch in Paragould, records show. The withdrawals occurred around 9:48 p.m. that evening.
As part of the investigation, the detective obtained surveillance footage from the bank’s ATM. Based on the images provided, law enforcement identified the person making the withdrawals as Carcione, the affidavit states. Further investigation, including analysis of bank records obtained through a search warrant, revealed that the card number used in the transactions did not match the number assigned to the employee’s issued debit card. Investigators allege Carcione exploited her managerial access to acquire an unissued debit card and attach the employee’s account information to it, enabling her to obtain the funds without using the employee’s actual card.
The case remains under investigation as Carcione awaits her initial court appearance next month.