University Student Accused Of Stealing Over $500K For Tesla, Louis Vuitton, Lavish Hawaii Trip

Auburndale, MA. – A Lasell University student is now facing charges after scamming more than $500,000 while on the clock. Ariel Foster, 19, worked at a jewelry store at a mall in Burlington, Massachusetts.

According to WCVB, the Lasell student allegedly spent thousands of dollars on a Tesla, Louis Vuitton items, and a luxurious trip to Hawaii. Authorities were notified on Feb. 22 to check in at a jewelry store in the Burlington Mall for a reported credit card machine breach.

Police reported on three different days Foster scanned items for paying customers in February but had increased the prices on each total. The cost of each item was refunded to a credit card belonging to Foster. Foster closed out eight transactions that concluded a total loss of $547,187.

“It was a situation of fraudulent returns where she would have an item she would mark up over price, and return the difference to a credit card in her name and then deposit to herself the money to different bank accounts,” police Chief Thomas Browne said.

An investigation led authorities to her bank transactions which showcased that Foster made several large transactions between Feb. 2 and Feb. 22, including the purchase of a $35,000 Tesla, a round trip flight for $6,000 through Delta Airlines, more than $20,000 on a hotel in Maui, Hawaii and about $5,000 in Louis Vuitton purchases.

Authorities arrested Foster at her Lasell dorm and charged her with larceny over $1,200.

According to WCVB, Lasell University, a private university in Auburndale, Massachusetts, still has Foster enrolled as a women’s track and field member.

“We are aware that a Lasell University student was arrested on Wednesday. The responsibility of all students to comply with local, state, and federal laws apply both on- and off-campus,” the school said in a statement.

Foster is scheduled for court Wednesday, March 15, in Woburn (MA) District Court.