When her friends came through a Gwinnett County Wal-Mart checkout line, a cashier allegedly rang up a gift card for $1,000.

Then she did it 18 more times, according to a police report.

A store manager of the Wal-Mart on Sardis Church Road in Buford said another manager thought someone used a stolen credit card to buy gift cards.

Monique Allen reviewed the surveillance video from around 3 a.m. on Dec. 5, when the theft took place.

Aleecia Smith, who worked a register, was seen on video ringing up 18 gift cards for $1,000 each and entering a cash payment into the register without taking money, the report stated.

Four women and two men were seen accepting the gift cards and then leaving the store in what appeared to be a black Dodge Durango.

Smith faces theft by deception charges.

About the Author

Keep Reading

Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Juneteenth, among others, will no longer be considered fee-free days at U.S. National Parks. While the MLK National Historic Park in Atlanta doesn't charge admission, the new schedule will affect such metro Atlanta sites as Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park. (Miguel Martinez/AJC)

Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez

Featured

Ceudy Gutierrez reads a book to her 2-year-old son, Matias, at their home in Buford, GA, on Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025. Ceudy Gutierrez is struggling to make ends meet for herself and her three young kids following her husband’s ICE arrest earlier this fall. (Miguel Martinez/ AJC)

Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez