A Queens teen has been charged with felony grand larceny following an investigation into an alleged theft at the T.J. Maxx in Yorktown Green Shopping Center, Yorktown police said Tuesday.
The woman, identified as 19-year-old Alexandra Covaciu, was charged with fourth-degree grand larceny, a Class E felony, in connection with an Oct. 23 incident involving two suspects.
Police said they received a complaint about the alleged theft on Oct. 25 and began investigating. Detectives later learned that Greenburgh police were investigating the same suspects in connection with a similar incident.
According to police, a group allegedly associated with Covaciu was linked to 44 grand larceny incidents across the tri-state area involving so-called "quick-cash" scams.
Quick-cash scams generally involve confusing or distracting a cashier during a cash transaction, often by repeatedly requesting different bills or changing the amount of money being exchanged. The scams can result in a suspect receiving more money than they initially provided. Police did not specify how the alleged scams in this case were carried out.
On Nov. 4, detectives from Yorktown and Greenburgh alerted the Putnam County Sheriff's Office that the suspects were allegedly attempting another scam in Putnam County.
Sheriff's deputies located and detained the suspects. Yorktown police then arrested Covaciu around 6 p.m. in Brewster.
The second suspect, who was not identified by Yorktown police, was also arrested and taken to the Greenburgh Police Department to face charges in its incident.
Yorktown police thanked the Greenburgh Police Department and Putnam County Sheriff's Office for their assistance in the investigation.
The woman was taken to Yorktown police headquarters for processing and released with an appearance ticket. She is scheduled to appear in Yorktown Justice Court on Tuesday, Nov. 17 at 2 p.m.
The investigation remains ongoing.
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