Theft from TJ Maxx apparent family affair | News, Sports, Jobs

The Maui News

WAILUKU — A Kula woman was ordered to perform 100 hours of community service for stealing from a Kahului store in a scheme that involved family members.

“I’ve heard of family affairs, but this is bordering on ridiculous when you involve your mother, your father, for possibly the sake of your brother, and you steal from your employer,” 2nd Circuit Judge Rhonda Loo said Wednesday in sentencing Lisa Texeira. “You had this little scheme.”

Texeira, 54, was working as a cashier at TJ Maxx when her mother, sometimes accompanied by her father, would go to the store and take merchandise to Texeira, according to an investigation. Texeira would charge her mother for smaller items and also place in her bag items from behind the counter that her mother didn’t pay for, Loo noted.

Texeira had pleaded no contest to a reduced charge of third-degree theft from TJ Maxx between Dec. 5, 2015, and Jan. 11, 2016.

“She’s not a sophisticated criminal,” said Deputy Public Defender Zach Raidmae. “This is a crime of maybe opportunity. When she was confronted with the issue, she gave it up immediately. She wrote a written confession.”

He said the store had been paid back.

“The only reason she was taking things was to help out her troubled brother,” Raidmae said. “That’s a sad circumstance.

“That shows the kind of love she has for her brother, even though that love is misguided.”

The prosecution disagreed that it was a crime of opportunity, said Deputy Prosecutor Jeffery Temas.

He said the thefts were discovered when security was alerted to multiple low-dollar amount transactions involving the same cashier and buyer.

“That was the catalyst that started the investigation,” he said.

“It was more than a crime of opportunity,” Judge Loo said.

Although Texeira said she was taking merchandise to help her homeless brother, Loo said the stolen items included stationery, women’s shirts and a jacket, handbags, food, shoes, a pillow and gift wrap, along with men’s underwear and men’s clothing.

The investigation documented a half-dozen incidents of theft.

“If they hadn’t caught you, how long would you have continued to do so?” Loo said. “I understand blood is thicker than water. This is just a little bit too much. You get your mother involved, you get your father kind of involved, for possibly the sake of your brother.”

Texeira was ordered to pay a $1,562 fine as part of one year’s probation.

She was ordered not to enter TJ Maxx without approval from her probation officer and to write a letter apologizing to the store. She was given credit for two days she previously spent in jail.

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