Customer returns allegedly helped an Aldi employee in Florida take $1,380.80 from store registers without leaving an apparent cash shortage. A Jupiter police affidavit describes returned merchandise being scanned a second time while cash was removed from the checkout area.
Ellen Cabanas Albor, 21, worked at the retailer’s store on West Indiantown Road in Jupiter. Aldi investigated a series of suspicious transactions, terminated her employment and provided its findings to police.
The retailer documented six transactions, but a written statement attributed to Albor described a longer period of suspected theft and an estimated amount closer to $4,000. Investigators reviewed register records, surveillance footage and statements from store management.
Albor surrendered to Jupiter police on Oct. 15, 2026. Palm Beach County court records list two felony allegations in case 50-2026-CF-007786-AXXX-MB, filed the next day. CBS12 reported the investigation on Oct. 19.
Returned Goods Were Scanned Again While the Registers Stayed Balanced
Aldi’s district manager, Jennifer Coddington, told investigators that employees placed customers’ returned products on a designated rack. According to her account in the police affidavit, Albor later retrieved some of those items, scanned them again and took cash from the register area.
Six Flagged Transactions Included One Worth $499.15
The police probable-cause affidavit lists six transactions between Aug. 9 and Sept. 4, 2026. The reported amounts were $32 on Aug. 9, $141.70 on Aug. 11, $499.15 on Aug. 31, $320.95 on Sept. 2, $209 on Sept. 3 and $178 on Sept. 4. Together, they total $1,380.80.
The allegations concern the Aldi at 6707 West Indiantown Road. Store management reported the matter to Jupiter police in October after its internal review. The six documented transactions ended Sept. 4, but the affidavit describes the suspected theft period as extending through Sept. 11. Aldi terminated Albor’s employment on Sept. 12.
Surveillance Did Not Directly Show Cash Being Taken
Jupiter Police Officer Julia Cain reviewed footage showing Albor moving between the register and the area where returned goods were kept. The return rack itself was outside the camera’s view. Cain reported seeing Albor reach beneath the counter and put something into her pocket, but said she could not see the cash directly because the object was obscured by her hand.
A store manager also explained that the surveillance system’s clock was about 45 minutes behind the checkout transactions.
A Reported Written Statement Estimated About $4,000
According to the affidavit, Aldi management provided police with an account of a written statement attributed to Albor. She reportedly acknowledged taking company money while dealing with financial difficulties affecting her family, and estimated that the conduct had continued for approximately four months.
Her reported estimate was about $4,000, substantially more than the six transactions separately identified by management.
Albor turned herself in on Oct. 15 and declined to give police a further statement, the affidavit says. Officers transported her to Palm Beach County Jail for booking.
Her Sheriff Booking Record Lists Two Felony Allegations
The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office booking sheet identifies Albor under the joined surname Cabanasalbor, booking number 2026028246. It lists one grand-theft allegation and one scheme-to-defraud allegation arising from the Jupiter Police Department’s investigation.
The original booking sheet initially displayed a total of $10,000 in bond, with $5,000 assigned to each count.
The Judge Ordered $4,000 Bond on Each Count
The revised October 16 court-event record shows that Judge Lourdes Casanova found probable cause and ordered $4,000 bond for each felony count. The same document records a no-contact condition concerning the alleged victim. The public case summary was marked open when accessed Oct. 19, with no sentence recorded.
The court scheduled a 30-day return for Nov. 14, 2026, at 10:30 a.m. and an initial case conference for Dec. 10 at 8:30 a.m. Under Florida’s theft law, theft involving at least $750 in property generally meets the third-degree grand-theft threshold. The separate organized-fraud law covers qualifying schemes of deception and permits multiple transactions within the same scheme to be aggregated. Both counts remain allegations, and Albor is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
Why Checking Only the Cash Drawer Can Miss Return Fraud
Aldi’s return policy provides rules for customer refunds, including use of a receipt for an eligible refund to the original payment method and merchandise credit for qualifying no-receipt returns. The alleged conduct in this case occurred after customers had turned merchandise over to the store; it does not establish that those shoppers lost money.
For retailers, comparing return receipts against register histories, products physically received and later scans can reveal whether merchandise was processed more than once. Independent review of repeated employee-linked refund activity and camera coverage of both the return rack and checkout area may identify discrepancies that a balanced cash count alone would miss.
