May 20—A second Chilean woman was booked into the Glynn County Detention Center this week accused of being part of a scheme in which she worked with two other women to steal debit and credit cards, racking up thousands of dollars in fraudulent charges.
Nathalie Pamela Ramos-Covarrubias, 37, also known as Natalie Rowles, is listed as a fugitive from justice and is being held for federal authorities. Glynn County jail records show 28 financial transaction card fraud charges, two counts of financial card theft and one misdemeanor theft by taking charge.
Glynn County detectives allege in arrest warrants that she worked with two other women to distract at least three female shoppers at Publix and Home Goods and steal their purses or wallets.
The trio would then use the credit and debit cards from the thefts to purchase pre-loaded debit cards, iPads, iPad accessories and Apple Watches from Walmart and Target, the warrants say.
The women also allegedly purchased clothes and an occasional Pepsi or bottle of water when committing the fraud, the warrants say.
The alleged thefts and the subsequent fraud occurred on April 24, April 28 and July 28, 2022, according to the warrants.
The women made nearly $14,000 worth of fraudulent purchases in Glynn County and also took cash from the wallets and purses they stole, the warrants say.
Ramos-Covarrubias is the second woman in the scheme to face charges in Glynn County and is wanted in connection to a similar scheme elsewhere in Georgia and Florida.
Saloma Aracelly Jara-Madriaza, 23, was arrested May 2 in Fulton County and brought to Glynn County to face her charges here. She was to be moved after booking in Glynn County to other counties in Georgia and Florida where the three women are wanted for similar charges, Undersheriff Mario Morales said at the time.
Both women were also arrested in Lincoln County, North Carolina, in August 2022 for executing the same scheme at stores in Denver, North Carolina, according to a news report by WCCB Charlotte. Deputies there said they found around 300 gift cards with an estimated total value of $200,000 when they were arrested, the report said.
Deputies there linked the women to a South American theft group that other news reports said are networks of people from Chile and Columbia who come to the U.S. as tourists and steal and burglarize homes before returning to their homes in South America.
Theft group activities have been investigated by authorities and reported by news outlets across the country in California, Indiana, Texas and North Carolina, among others.