Avis/Budget employee at RSW arrested for swindling company

Writer: Derrick Shaw
Published:
Alicia Leon (CREDIT: Lee County Sheriff’s Office)

A 20-year-old Avis/Budget employee was arrested on Thursday for stealing money from her employer.

According to a Lee County Port Authority report, Alicia Leon was accepting payments for car rentals through Apple Pay.

The money was staying in her bank account instead of being transferred to the Avis/Budget Group at Southwest Florida International Airport.

In August, a customer attempted to rent a vehicle but did not have a credit card. Authorities said that’s when Leon began taking payments through Apple Pay.

Leon would scan the vehicle as returned. She would then go into the system and modify the rental agreement to show it was extended.

At least one customer believed the transactions were allowed. But the company attempted to account for a vehicle and reported it stolen.

On one occasion, one renter was pulled over and showed the rental agreement to authorities. The renter also showed text messages to Leon about extending the rental and the payments sent through Apple Pay.

Police said she committed grand theft over $5,000. Avis/Budget suffered a loss of $7,479 in rental fees.

Leon faces a charge of larceny and fraud.

Copyright ©2024 Fort Myers Broadcasting. All rights reserved.

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without prior written consent.