FLOWOOD, Miss. (WJTV) – Two women have been sentenced to both serve 15 years in prison for identity theft in Rankin County.

Madison and Rankin Counties’ District Attorney Bubba Bramlett said Flowood police received a all about two women stealing a purse inside the TJ Maxx store at the Dogwood Shopping Center on February 17, 2023.

Police responded to the scene and later found the suspects’ vehicle. They conducted a traffic stop. During a search of the vehicle, police found several items of merchandise from Belk and Target. They also found purchase receipts, several gift cards, marijuana and a wallet that did not belong to the suspects.

The suspects were identified as Sylyndrell Pugh and Samantha Wilson.

Officers said they searched Wilson and fund a credit card belonging to the victim from TJ Maxx and a driver’s license belonging to another individual.

Pugh and Wilson were both arrested. Shortly after the arrests, Flowood police said they received multiple reports from other victims claiming their wallets were stolen while grocery shopping at Kroger and that their credit cards had been fraudulently used at Belk and Target.

According to Bramlett, Flowood investigators obtained surveillance video and found that the same suspects were responsible for these thefts and fraudulent conduct. Additionally, Flowood investigators found that the receipts, credit cards, and identification information found during the vehicle search belonged to the victims.

“Sylyndrell Pugh and Samantha Wilson are career criminals with a history of fraudulent conduct all over the United States,” said Bramlett. “We applaud the outstanding work of the officers and investigators of the Flowood Police Department. The success of these two cases exemplifies what happens when a community’s citizens, retailers, and businesses work hand in hand with law enforcement.”