Bristol County woman given suspended sentence for role in counterfeit coupon operation across southern New England

BROCKTONA Timothy Cruz, the district attorney for Plymouth County, said that a Taunton woman had entered a guilty plea to her involvement in a coordinated, fake coupon scheme that stole almost $27,000 in merchandise discounts.

Jacqueline White, 42, entered a guilty plea to one count of Larceny by False Pretense under a Single Scheme on Thursday in Brockton Superior Court. She received a sentence of two and a half years in prison with a three-year suspension. Given the length of the scheme and the number of retailers affected, the Commonwealth had suggested a sentence of two to three years in state prison.

Following a months-long investigation by the Hingham and Abington Police Departments, with assistance from the Florida-based Coupon Information Center, a nonprofit organization that combats coupon fraud, White and co-defendant Crystal Travis were charged.

Between March 10, 2023, and June 2, 2023, White and Travis were charged with using fake coupons to enter multiple Stop and Shop grocery stores in Massachusetts and steal about $26,547 worth of goods. Additionally, it was claimed that White and Travis ran a sophisticated operation to buy fake coupons using Facebook, Dropbox, and other social media platforms.

Hundreds of items were bought by White and Travis from Stop and Shop locations in Quincy, Weymouth, Raynham, Plainville, Whitman, Abington, Pembroke, Norwell, Hingham, North Dartmouth, New Bedford, Sandwich, Brockton, East Providence, Rhode Island, and Pawtucket, Rhode Island, according to police.

The Plymouth Superior Court granted Travis a continuance without a finding in June 2024.

The Hingham and Abington Police Departments looked into the case against White, which was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Alex Zane.