Federal Way police found probable cause to believe an employee of the Federal Way Lowe’s Home Improvement store committed theft in the first degree by embezzling approximately $70,000.

Lowe’s loss prevention personnel found proof the woman took about $41,500 by documenting customers’ purchases as returns and then pocketing the money from the transactions. Upon interviewing with the police, the woman, who is not being named because she has not been charged with the crime, admitted to stealing a total of about $70,000.

The 22-year-old employee told police she knew what she was doing was wrong, but she stole the money to help her family with cost of living expenses and gambling problems, according to police documents.

The woman was caught in the scheme when a customer who bought a microwave for $770 attempted to return the purchase, only to find the microwave had already been documented as returned. The incident sparked an investigation.

According to police documents, the woman would enter fraudulent returns on large dollar items and then use an undocumented loan from the cashier’s office — intended for use when the cashier till becomes low on cash — to cover for the return.