9 arrest warrants issued for 4 county ORC ring in Pittsburgh, PA area - Targeting Marshall's & 5 other retailers  Nine men and women are suspected of participating in a retail theft ring responsible for stealing nearly $100,000 in merchandise from stores in Butler and three other counties. The alleged ring members, all from Washington County, between Oct. 27 and Nov. 26 struck six different Marshall’s stores, including one at the Cranberry Mall. They were definitely working together,” Cranberry police Sgt. Chuck Mascellino said Monday. “It was pretty well organized.” District Judge Dave Kovach last week issued felony arrest warrants for Heather Dillon, 36, of McDonald; Cole Littleton, 30, of Joffre; Shawn Lyle, 36, and his wife, Stacey Lyle, 36, both of McDonald; and Richard D. Rodgers Jr., 36, of Hickory. Warrants also were issued for Rodney D. Shaw, 40, Andrew A. Sines, 28, and Richard Stankowski, 39, all of McDonald; and Tomacina J. Walters, 29, of Slovan. Investigators believe the defendants targeted Marshall’s department stores in Butler, Beaver, Allegheny and Washington counties, stealing clothing items and then returning the stolen items in exchange for gift cards. The gift cards would then be sold to gold stores, Mascellino said, for “50 cents on the dollar” or so. The suspects would apparently take turns playing different roles — swiping the items, acting as lookouts and serving as getaway drivers. “There’s at least five other chain stores involved,” Sgt. Mascellino said. Lowe’s Home Improvement stores are among them. (Source cbslocal.com)


ORC Duo hits Williams-Sonoma, Toys R Us, and Babies-R-Us for over $100,000 in San Antonio  A reward is being offered for a couple accused of stealing more than $100,000 from three local stores. Police said John and Christine Jarussi are wanted for shoplifting from Williams-Sonoma, Inc., Toys-R-Us and Babies-R-Us. (Source ksat.com)


Shoplifting spree in 2 states ends with arrests in Bossier City hitting Dillard's- Stage Stores - Wal-Mart  The arrest of 2 Arkansas women accused of shoplifting at a Bossier City store has led to the recovery of thousands of dollars in stolen merchandise taken from retail stores in 2 states, according to Bossier City police. Emerald Lasheryl Cheatham, 19, and Nefretiri Akosua Carter, 22, both of El Dorado, Arkansas, are charged with the theft of goods and illegal possession of stolen things after officers responded to a shoplifting call at the Dillard's store in Pierre Bossier Mall late Tuesday afternoon. Police say they recovered the stolen purse and wallet from inside the vehicle along with a bounty of what was later determined to be stolen merchandise that the two had also shoplifted earlier in the day from the Walmart and Stage stores in Bossier City and from a Walmart store in Camden, Arkansas. The merchandise included numerous articles of clothing and accessories as well as four computers and a DVD player. The stolen merchandise was valued at more than $4800. (Source ksla.com)

Man Pleads Guilty To Fraud With Gift Cards
A store owner has pleaded guilty to running a scheme in which he directed others to steal items from large retailers and then return them for gift cards. Forty-five-year-old John Tadros of Baltimore pleaded guilty Wednesday in federal court in Baltimore to wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering. He faces a maximum of 20 years in prison at sentencing in April. Prosecutors say Tadros directed people, called “boosters,” to steal items and return them for gift cards. Authorities say the boosters uses fake drivers’ licenses when return stolen goods without a receipt. Prosecutors say Tadros bought the gift cards from the boosters for 50 percent of their value. Authorities say Maryland retailers lost more than $400,000 in the scheme. (Source cbslocal.com)

Former Kmart Loss Prevention Manager busted for stealing video games and systems, selling them to GameStop in Canton, Ohio  Game Stop called Kmart about the items, sparking a three-month investigation that culminated in the man's arrest. He was arrested at Kmart on Tuesday by Stark County sheriff's deputies and jailed on a felony theft charge. (Source cantonrep.com)

Two Florida thieves arrested after hitting Cabela’s for $8,000 in Mitchell and Sioux Falls, South Dakota  Both men allegedly had false identification in their possession and used fake credit cards in an attempt to steal the merchandise. (Source mitchellrepublic.com)