Popeyes worker used customer credit cards to fund boyfriend in jail, FL cops say

Fried chicken lovers visiting a Popeyes drive-thru in Florida were unwittingly paying a prison inmate’s commissary fees, according to investigators.

It was happening at the Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen in Palm Coast, and two women are accused of orchestrating the fraud, the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office said in an Oct. 17 news release.

They scheme was motivated by a desire to help 42-year-old Shaunta Johnson’s boyfriend, who is in prison, the sheriff’s office said.

“Detectives determined that Johnson and her coworker and close friend, Chaniqua Richberg, 49, of Palm Coast, fraudulently charged customer credit cards while working the Popeyes drive-thru,” the sheriff’s office reported.

“Johnson orchestrated the scheme to make commissary payments to her boyfriend, an inmate at Apalachee Correctional Institution, West Unit, in Sneads, Florida.”

Investigators did not report how many victims were involved, but one woman reported her credit card had an unauthorized charge of $311.90 after visiting the restaurant in March, deputies said.

The scheme came to light when the restaurant franchise came under new ownership, deputies said. The resulting investigation lasted seven months.

Johnson was arrested Oct. 15 and faces “multiple felony charges, including organized scheme to defraud, three counts of fraudulent use of a credit card, three counts of unlawful use of a two-way communication device, and three counts of fraudulent use of personal identification information,” deputies said.

Richberg was arrested in April and charged with “fraudulent use of a credit card, unlawful use of a two-way communication device, and fraudulent use of personal identification information,” the sheriff’s office said.

Prisoners are not allowed to keep money behind bars, but cash can be provided by family members to a commissary fund used to buy food, toiletries and other minor needs, according to the Prison Fellowship.

Palm Coast is about a 65-mile drive south from Jacksonville.

This story was originally published October 20, 2025 at 11:22 AM with the headline "Popeyes worker used customer credit cards to fund boyfriend in jail, FL cops say."