Woman Charged with Swindling Mendota Heights Store

A Burnsville woman has been charged with theft and theft by swindle after authorities say she stole more than $3,500 from a Mendota Heights store where she worked.

Amy Jean Martinson, 26, faces two felony charges: theft and theft by swindle, each of which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

According to the criminal complaint, were called to the store in late June after the loss prevention manager reported an employee theft.

The manager told police that he had discovered “fraudulent activity” in the store’s accounts from April through June, and that Martinson had stolen a cash deposit from June 24 for $473. The manager said the total loss to the store totaled $3,572.

Martinson told police that she had been responsible for opening and closing the store since November 2010, the complaint says.

She said that her husband lost about $20,000 at a local casino in April, and that she was having trouble paying rent and feeding her children. “She blamed this for her ultimately committing the offense against her employer,” the complaint says.

Police showed Martinson all the transactions with her signature, and she admitted that she had completed all of them and that she had pocketed the money after she had completed the refunds. She told police that she had “made up names and addresses as they popped into her head” on the refunds.

Martinson also admitted taking the cash deposit in June, according to the complaint.

“[Martinson] said she knew what she was doing was wrong; however, she felt she wouldn’t get caught as quickly as she did,” the complaint says.

Martinson is scheduled to make a first appearance on the charges Oct. 10 in Dakota County District Court in Hastings.