A woman was arrested after allegedly renting a car for her vacation and attempting to leave the island without paying.
Last week, the Economic Crime Unit began investigating a case where a woman scammed a car rental company by taking a vehicle without payment.
According to the rental company’s manager, Emoni Goldman came to the business on August 21 with three men. She rented a 2021 Ford Bronco for $125 per day, plus a $250 security deposit. Goldman provided her Arizona driver’s license and completed the paperwork.
One of the men attempted to pay with a credit card, but the transaction failed. The manager, trusting her promise to pay, allowed them to take the car, with the agreement that she would return the next day to settle the bill. However, Goldman never came back.
Over the next few days, the manager tried reaching her. On August 28, Goldman promised that her father would pay the bill, which had now reached $1,164.37. But once again, she did not return the vehicle.
On August 29, the manager spotted the rented Bronco at a nearby gas station. He went outside but did not see who parked the vehicle.
Police later found Goldman at the airport. She admitted to renting the car but claimed her boyfriend was responsible for paying. She also said she ignored the rental company’s calls, assuming her boyfriend had taken care of it. Investigators found several failed attempts by Goldman to pay using various credit cards and a PayPal account. She eventually confessed that she didn’t pay because she didn’t have the money.
Goldman was arrested and charged with fraud. At her court hearing, the judge upheld the charges, setting her bail at $20,000, allowing her to pay 10% in cash. She must now report to the probation office twice a week and is scheduled for another court appearance on September 20.