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Former wine store employee takes deal in gift-card scheme

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A man who'd worked at an Omaha wine and spirits store has taken a plea deal in a gift-card scheme.

Court records say 29-year-old Brenton McLaurine pleaded no contest last week to one felony theft count. Prosecutors dropped a second count in exchange. His sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 7.

Records say McLaurine was fired from the Village Pointe Brix store in May 2016. The records say the manager found multiple gift cards that had balances in the thousands of dollars, including one that reached more than $68,000. The company's software let employees add money to gift cards through cash transactions and then void them, leaving the totals on the cards.

The two Brix stores closed in January, leaving customers with gift cards they couldn't redeem.

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