N.Y. woman accused in fraud, theft case

UPDATE: The case was dismissed in December 2017 following Polanco’s successful completion of a diversion program, court records show.

A New York woman who allegedly attempted to defraud a Vancouver AT&T store of thousands of dollars in Apple electronics made a first appearance Thursday in Clark County Superior Court.

Cheyna Y. Polanco, 24, of Bronx, N.Y., appeared on suspicion of second-degree identity theft, second-degree theft from a building and second-degree organized retail theft, court records show.

An employee at the AT&T store housed in the Andresen Marketplace contacted authorities after Polanco allegedly tried to buy $4,000 worth of iPhones and iPads on credit under someone else’s identity, according to a probable cause affidavit.

Polanco also allegedly made fraudulent purchases at a Gresham, Ore., AT&T store. She reportedly told officers someone was going to pay her to complete the transactions, the affidavit states.

Officers seized a false California ID and credit cards listed under someone else’s identity, court records said.

During her appearance, Judge Scott Collier appointed Polanco a defense attorney and granted her supervised release. Court records indicate she is staying with a friend in Vancouver.

She is scheduled to be arraigned Aug. 30.

— Jessica Prokop