A Chicago man allegedly stole nearly $3,000 from two women in Algonquin by overcharging their debit cards when they offered him a small donation intended to help underprivileged children.
Armarion J. McNeal, 25, of Chicago, was charged with two counts of theft by deception over $500, a Class 3 felony.
A criminal complaint filed in McHenry County Circuit Court alleges McNeal obtained $1,700 from a woman in Algonquin on May 10.
The complaint said McNeal deceived the woman by requesting a donation from her to support college funds for underprivileged youth.
The victim offered a $20 donation and the McNeal completed a transaction on her debit card for $1,700 — $1,680 more than she offered, the complaint said.
A week later, McNeal was accused of operating the same scam on another woman in Algonquin, court records show.
A criminal complaint said McNeal was requesting donations to support the youth on May 17 when he allegedly stole $1,000 from the second victim.
The woman had offered a $10 donation to McNeal but he completed a transaction on the victim’s debit card for a total of $1,000 — $990 more than she offered, the complaint said.
In February, police warned about suspects posing as fundraisers for organizations while stealing large sums of money from people in McHenry County.
The subjects, who target people in retail areas, claim they are fundraising. They take payment via debit card while claiming that cash and credit cards are not accepted.
Instead of charging the agreed amount, they charge much more to the person’s debit card.
McNeal was arrested earlier this week and released from the McHenry County Jail after McHenry County Judge Jeffrey Hirsch denied a petition to detain him pending trial.
The judge ordered McNeal to be placed on electronic monitoring with a curfew.
McNeal is scheduled to appear in court again on October 31.