Denver businessman indicted by feds in multi-million dollar retail theft scheme - $16+ million  Lincoln County businessman has been indicted for his role in an alleged multi-million dollar organized crime retail theft scheme. Steve Hale, 64, and owner of Double D Distributing, LLC, formerly based in Denver, has been indicted on conspiracy to transport stolen goods in interstate commerce, interstate transportation of stolen property and related charges, announced Anne M. Tompkins, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. The indictment remained under seal until today, following Hale’s arrest yesterday afternoon. Double D was located at 6661 Denver Industrial Park. The federal charges against Hale are the result of “Operation Cash Back,” an investigation that began in September 2010 into the buying and selling of stolen over-the-counter (OTC) non-prescription drug and health and beauty aid (HBA) products. Six defendants have been sentenced to date in connection with Operation Cash Back. Bonnie Bridges, Kimberley Morris, Michael Morris, Darlene Schoener, William Schoener, and Darryl Brock were sentenced in January 2013 to prison terms ranging from 18 to 86 months. The amount of stolen property involved in the Bridges case from 2006 to 2011 exceeded $16 million. Hale was a second-level “fence” for an organized retail theft scheme involving millions of dollars’ worth of stolen consumer goods transported in interstate commerce. The indictment alleges that professional shoplifters, known as “boosters,” committed large-scale retail theft of thousands of consumer products, including popular name brand over-the-counter non-prescription drug products and over-the-counter health and beauty aid products, and sold the stolen goods for cash to multi-level fencing operators, known as “fences.” (Source denvercnews.com)

Hollister employee busted for $5000 theft at the Post Oak Mall in Texas; upset she did not get recognition for turning in other store thieves  A Hollister employee was arrested Thursday after stealing $5,000 from the store at Post Oak Mall, police said. Lauren Elizabeth Camp, 24, of Bryan was charged with state jail felony theft. The store's loss prevention manager received an anonymous tip in late August that one of the store managers had been stealing since May. Camp admitted to taking merchandise from the clothing store and said she let her friends and two other employees steal as well. She returned 64 clothing items, fragrances and accessories worth $3,100 and estimated that she had allowed another 45 items to be taken from the store, the report stated. One of the other two employees charged with misdemeanor theft told investigators Camp had told him she was stealing because she was upset she never got rewarded for stopping another manager from stealing. (Source theeagle.com)

Organised crime gangs are targeting Britain's payday lenders - up 90%, according to fraud experts  Organised crime gangs are targeting Britain’s payday lenders, according to fraud experts, who have reported a massive increase in offences against the controversial easy-loan firms. Figures from fraud prevention service CIFAS show that cases of identity fraud against loans rose more than 90 per cent in the first eight months of this year to 13,633 attempts, compared with 7,104 for the whole of 2012. A CIFAS spokesman said: ‘In the past 24 months payday lenders have gone from being virtually invisible to everyone knowing about them and demand for this form of finance is rising. (Source thisismoney.co.uk)



Woman arrested on organized fraud charges in Hernando, Fla.
A Lake Panasofkee woman was arrested on charges of organized fraud after investigators found she had made or attempted to make 46 fraudulent purchases with her mother's credit card. (Source hernandotoday.com)

 

Florida Highway Patrol’s Bureau of Investigations is working to reduce Cargo Thefts  JaxPort, works with local, state and federal law enforcement agencies to protect against the thefts. The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office is part of a statewide task force established in 2002 that deals with cargo thefts and includes sheriff’s offices, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the FBI. As soon as thefts are discovered by trucking or companies, a notification system broadcasts the information to law enforcement, inspection stations and state transportation officers. (Source jacksonville.com)

The Daily is following a major San Diego fencing operation bust - Stay tuned for more information as we receive the case detail shortly