Fitchburg woman charged with credit card fraud

LEOMINSTER » The accomplice of a Leominster man charged in August with breaking into four vehicles and stealing a number of items from each, including credit cards, debit cards and a handgun, was arraigned last week on five counts of credit card fraud connected to the break-ins, according to police and court documents.

On Aug. 28, Alyssa Chalke, 32, of Franklin Road, Fitchburg, was arrested on Aug. 28 after a domestic dispute involving Jeffrey G. Alajajian, 33, of Elm Street, Leominster, in which both were suspected in several motor vehicle break-ins that had occurred in the days before the arrests, police said.

When Alajanjian was connected to the breakins after an investigation and arrested, he was charged with felony breaking and entering, malicious damage to a motor vehicle, larceny of a firearm and possession of a burglarious instrument, felony breaking and entering, larceny under $1,200, vandalizing property, attempt to commit a crime and receiving stolen property, according to court documents.

Those motor vehicle break-ins occurred on Jytek Drive, and at the McDonalds and Wendy’s on Commercial Road, police said.

After the break-ins, one of the credit cards stolen from one of the vehicles began being used to purchase Visa Vanilla and Amex gift cards totaling $1,200, plus a $50 transaction at a convenience store, police said.

A department detective began visiting the stores where the transactions had taken place and pulled surveillance video recordings of the seven transactions.

In each of the fraudulent transactions, Chalke was seen making them, police said.

As a result, she was charged with six counts of credit card fraud under $1,200 and receiving stolen property under

$1,200, according to court documents.

She was first arraigned on one count of credit card fraud and receiving stolen property on Aug. 31 and the balance of the charges on Oct. 14 at the conclusion of the department investigation, according to court documents.

During both arraignments, Chalke was released on personal recognizance. She will return to court on Dec. 10 for a pretrial hearing, according to court documents.