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Torrance police break up alleged identity theft ring
spending their loot at high-end retailers
Torrance police detectives have broken up an alleged
identity theft operation in which hundreds of thousands
of dollars were stolen from victims from San Diego to
Simi Valley. The theft ring used victim's names and
credit information to purchase men's Dolce & Gabbana and
Louboutin designer clothing and shoes, stereo equipment,
computers and cameras as well as to make cash advances,
police said. (Source
dailynews.com)
Mesa police bust ORC gang of 3 hitting JC Penney
Three people were arrested Saturday on suspicion of
maintaining an organized retail theft scheme that
involved exchanging shoplifted goods for more than
$6,700 in gift cards from the Valley stores they hit,
according to a police document. Store officials
documented 10 instances of shoplifting by way of
fraudulent returns involving the three suspects. Parker
and Valles would return stolen items to the store in
exchange for gift cards. Rouse, Parker and Valles will
face charges in organized retail theft and felony
shoplifting, police said. (Source
azcentral.com)
ORC? Five arrested for felony retail theft hitting Best
Buy in Quincy, IL
According to Quincy Police, there were reports of
several shoplifters at Best Buy late Monday night. A
witness reported seeing four people stealing items. The
witness also gave a description of their vehicle as well
as a license plate number as the car headed south on
I-72. The vehicle was stopped by Illinois State Police
near Pittsfield. Numerous electronic items were found in
the vehicle. All four people, as well as a fifth person
who had been waiting in the car at Best Buy were
arrested. Starlette Higgins, Alexia Robinson, Willisha
Brown-Joiner, Silva Harris, and Leonski Higgins, all of
Springfield, Illinois, were arrested and are currently
lodged in the Adams County Jail. (Source
wgem.com)
Nine suspects hit a Victoria’s Secret store in Newark,
California.
Eight females and one male entered the Victoria’s Secret
store in the Newpark Mall last Thursday evening and
emptied racks of merchandise. As mall security
approached, some of the suspects dumped the merchandise
before fleeing. (Source
sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com)
Senate Passes Five Zeldin Bills
Targeting
Organized Retail Crime
By Lee M. Zeldin
April 22nd, 2013
The New York State Senate today
passed a package of legislation, sponsored by
Senator Lee M. Zeldin (R-C-I, Shirley), that would
crack down on anyone participating in Organized
Retail Crime.
“According to the FBI, organized retail theft costs
United States retailers about $30 billion per year,”
said Senator Zeldin. “In New York alone, these
organized crime rings cost our local retailers
hundreds of millions of dollars annually and, more
importantly, compromise the health, safety, and
welfare of unsuspecting New York consumers. In
addition, for every item stolen, New York State and
local governments lose out on millions in sales tax
revenue. Organized retail theft is the most serious
security issue facing many retail merchants,
including apparel and accessory retailers, mass
merchandisers, do-it-yourself stores, drug stores,
and supermarkets. It's a crime that has grown
substantially over the past decade, and has
continued to grow at an unprecedented level.
Retailers are forced to offset these significant
costs through higher prices meaning that honest
consumers are forced to endure the impact of these
professional shoplifters.”
Senate bill 2926-A would allow any county in the
state to prosecute someone who participates in a
pattern of organized retail crimes when at least one
of the offenses occurred within their jurisdiction.
These highly intelligent criminals are well aware of
the jurisdictional limitations under current law and
avoid committing multiple offenses in the same
county to avoid harsher penalties. This bill would
give law enforcement officials another tool in
curbing organized retail crime.
Senate bill 2927-A would increase the criminal
penalties on anyone who uses fraudulent or
counterfeit credit cards, account numbers, gift
cards, or other devices to illegally gain access to
money, goods, or services. In addition to harming
retailers, these offenses also harm honest consumers
when their account numbers are stolen. This bill
cracks down on these thieves by increasing the
criminal penalties for retail theft to a Class A
misdemeanor, Class E felony, or Class D felony.
Senate bill 2928 recognizes the fact that organized
retail thieves have been known to hide in retail
stores and wait for all employees to leave before
removing large amounts of goods through emergency
exits or by having a "get-away" car parked outside
an emergency exit. This bill would allow the courts
to charge someone with grand larceny in the fourth
degree for using an emergency exit in furtherance of
organized retail crime.
Senate bill 2929 targets organized retail crime from
the top by classifying the leading, organizing,
supervising, financing or managing of an organized
retail crime enterprise as a Class C felony.
Senate bill 2930 would create the new crime of
“theft of retail merchandise with an aggregated
value of $1,000,” and changes the Penal Law to
define this crime as “grand larceny in the fourth
degree.”
The bills were sent to the Assembly where each have
been introduced by Assemblyman Michael Cusick
(D-Staten Island). |
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