35 member ORC ring busted hitting Home Depot stores across southeastern Wisconsin for $300,000  A man charged in a shoplifting scheme says it relied on heroin users and hit Home Depot stores across southeast Wisconsin for thousands of dollars in losses. Tyler Groeller of Janesville has been charged with conspiracy to commit felony retail theft, conspiracy to conceal stolen property, delivery of heroin and delivery of a counterfeit narcotic. He was arrested Nov. 24 after selling heroin to an informant. The Janesville Gazette reports Groeller told police he organized the scheme that funneled about $300,000 to a local landlord over five to eight years. A criminal complaint says the scheme involved returning items that had been shoplifted for in-store credit loaded onto gift cards. The complaint says at least 35 "known heroin users" from Rock County were involved. wxow.com

7 member ORC theft ring busted hitting Target Stores on Black Friday in Portland metro area  Police arrested seven people at a Vancouver Target on Black Friday, interrupting an alleged organized retail theft scheme that may have hit other Targets around the Portland metro area. On Friday, loss prevention workers at Target, 7809 N.E. Vancouver Plaza Drive, were told that a group of people had committed thefts earlier in the day at the Jantzen Beach and Mall 205 Target locations in Portland, according to Vancouver police spokeswoman Kim Kapp. They also attempted to steal from the same Vancouver Target earlier in the day, police said. They were working together to steal multiple items," Kapp said. People matching the descriptions of the seven suspects walked through the Vancouver store and put merchandise into a shopping cart. Some of them walked the aisles, talking on cellphones, police said. Loss prevention employees saw Nigeria A. Crawford, 34, of Portland, push the loaded cart out the door without making any attempt to pay for the merchandise, which included two PlayStation 4s and a pair of Hello Kitty headphones, according to court documents. Vancouver police went to the store and arrested Crawford on suspicion of trafficking in stolen property, second-degree organized retail theft, second-degree theft and second-degree possession of stolen property. During an interview, she told investigators she was going to sell the stolen items to get rent money, according to court documents. Portland residents Chasadey N. Williams, 27, Chaniece L. Hall, 24, and Shanta A. Parker, 22, and Sherwood, Ore., residents Shanitra Presley-Crawford, 32, and Donnie J. Crawford, 29, were booked into the Clark County Jail on allegations of second-degree organized retail theft. Hall faces an additional allegation of second-degree theft. Target was among several stores that reported high-value thefts on Black Friday in the Portland metro area. A group of five people reportedly stole more than $3,000 worth of merchandise from Posh Lingerie in the Bridgeport Village Shopping Center in Tualatin, Ore. Police in Corvallis, Ore., arrested a woman who allegedly loaded up a shopping cart with more than $1,500 worth of electronics at Fred Meyer.  columbian.com

High-End Lingerie Store Targeted by Organized Retail Theft Ring of 5 in Bridgeport Village Shopping Center, in Tualatin, Oregon  Posh Lingerie, a high-end lingerie store in the Bridgeport Village Shopping Center was targeted by what appears to be an organized theft ring. On November 30, 2014 at around 5:30PM, 5 individuals (3 females and 2 males), entered the store. One of the subjects distracted the lone clerk working at the store while the others took several items. The subjects stole more than $2400.00 worth of merchandise. Tualatin Police were notified of the theft the following day, December 1, 2014. The investigators are in the initial phases of the investigation. There is no suspect information at this time. The Tualatin Police ask anyone who may have seen the subjects in the photos, or may have witnessed the incident to call the Tualatin Police Department at 503-691-4800.  blogspot.com

Follow Up to yesterday's ORC Couple/Duo arrests in Utah - Stole between $15k and $20k across northern Utah  The investigation began about three weeks ago when Macy's at Valley Fair Mall was robbed twice, said West Valley Police Lt. Scott Buchanan. The same people driving the same car were responsible, police said. During the course of their investigation, detectives learned of similar thefts across northern Utah. "We were able to determine these same suspects were hitting other stores from that same retailer all around northern Utah. Same m.o., same car, same everything. From Layton to Utah County and every variant of that store in Salt Lake County was being hit," Buchanan said. "He'd walk inside the store, select about $1,000 to $1,500 of high-value items, typically clothing, and then just run right out the door and into the waiting car." In each case, the man walked calmly into the store, grabbed items closest to the door and left. The problem, Buchanan said, is that the thefts happened so fast that the couple was already gone before mall security or police had time to respond. "Despite the fact it was the same two people, they're not using disguises or anything, they're using the same car. But unfortunately by how fast they move, it's hard to track them down," he said. Saturday night, due in part to tips received from the public, police found the couple at a downtown Salt Lake motel and arrested them. All of the stolen merchandise was already gone, Buchanan said. Buchanan said it's possible the couple may have been responsible for even more robberies before West Valley police began investigating.  Police believe the stolen clothes were being traded directly for heroin, he said. Detectives were still investigating a rumor Monday that once the drug dealers got a hold of the clothes, they shipped them to areas in Central and South America, Buchanan said. desertnews.com

Orlando man gets 5 years prison for $500,000 in credit card fraud
Federal prosecutors said Monday that 36-year-old Tony Frith was sentenced to five years and 10 months in prison for access device fraud. He also was ordered to repay almost $470,000 in restitution. Authorities say when Frith was stopped by Orlando police officers last year, the officers discovered more than 200 counterfeit credit cards during a search of his car. The police officers discovered the credit cards were counterfeit and had been recoded with stolen credit card numbers. Detectives found another 3,000 credit card numbers, as well as Social Security numbers and names, during a search of Frith's computer. cbs12.com



Winnipeg police release photos of $15,000 parka theft suspects - Female ORC Duo  The outdoor clothing store had its front window smashed in and more than 40 Canada Goose winter jackets were stolen before 6 a.m. on Nov. 16. Police are looking for two women whose images were captured by surveillance cameras. The Canadian-made parkas have become popular among those looking for high-end, warm winter gear. globalnews.ca

ORC Female Duo busted hitting Walmart store in State College, Pa. - Multiple Arrests  Police say that Margaret Habbershon, 54, and Luann Shoop, 59, walked out of the Benner Pike Walmart on October 24 with a cart full of unpaid goods. The two women allegedly stole four iPads and various other items, totaling almost $2,200. It wasn't until over a month later, on November 29, that the two women were arrested. According to the women's criminal complaints, a Walmart employee recognized the two women when they came back into the store and immediately called police. State College police were able to identify the two women from security footage from October 24. They two women were arrested and have been charged felony retail theft and receiving stole property. Bail was set at $10,000. Habbershon previously pleaded guilty to retail theft charges out of Juanita County last year, while Shoop pleaded guilty to receiving stolen property in Mifflin County in 2007, according to court records. statecollege.com

Couple hits Ulta store for $2,000 worth of name-brand merchandise in Little Rock
According to police, a male and a female walked into ULTA on University Avenue on November 28 and started throwing bottles of perfume into a bag. Police say the female suspect they are looking for is 22-year-old Jessica Drayer. Store employees were able to identify the woman from her Facebook page. The man's identity is still unknown. LRPD said the ULTA employees tried to confront Drayer and her male accomplice, but Drayer threatened to physically assault the employees. After throwing a bottle of perfume at an employee, the two suspects were able to leave the store with the stolen merchandise. katv.com

140-count grand jury indictment dismantles ID theft ring in Jefferson County, CO Jefferson County grand jury has returned a 165-count indictment against a suspected ID theft ring that operated for six months in 2013. According to the indictment, members of the nine-member enterprise obtained personal and financial information of people and businesses and used this information to create checks and identification. Using computers and the stolen information they created fraudulent documents including drivers licenses, state ID cards and checks. These fraudulent checks would then be transacted at businesses or financial institutions. Members of the enterprise would use the checks to obtain cash, merchandise, personal property, services, gift cards, food, etc. Merchandise and proceeds from forged check transactions were used and shared between other members of the group to include the purchase and use of illegal drugs. Nine people -- five women and four men -- have been indicted. Victim businesses include King Soopers, Bed Bath & Beyond, Rite Aid, First Bank, Ace Hardware, Wells Fargo Bank, McDonalds and 24 Hour Fitness. thedenverchannel.com

Michigan woman with long criminal history arrested on Black Friday; nearly $5,000 of merchandise recovered  A 35-year-old Mason woman was arrested Friday after pushing a cart full of merchandise she didn't pay for out of a store in Delta Township. The Eaton County Sheriff's Office says she spent more than two hours picking out $3,224.26 worth of items, and was arrested when she walked into the parking lot. The same woman had been seen doing the same thing at a different store earlier in the week. Deputies found that merchandise, worth $1,406.23, in her car. The sheriff's office says the woman has a long history of retail fraud, and is currently on probation for a felony retail fraud charge. jrn.com

Witness leads Police to arrest in $8,900 Michael Kors watch theft from Hicksville Mall, White Plains, NY  A White Plains man was arrested Monday night, charged with stealing more than $8,900 worth of designer watches from a Hicksville mall, after police said a shopper saw him take the merchandise, then followed him to the parking lot -- and called 911 to report the license plate of his car. Police said that Pedrow stole the watches from the Macy's store at the Broadway Mall in Hicksville. Police said a witness, described only as "a Good Samaritan," saw Pedrow remove "an entire Michael Kors watch display case" -- and leave the mall. newsday.com

Walmart shoplifters tried to take four TVs in Blackville, SC
A loss-prevention officer at Wal-Mart on Richland Avenue on Monday told officers she saw Gleaton and Luna put four TVs from the electronics department into their shopping carts, according to an incident report. They continued through the store, placing toys, food and clothing items into the carts and shopping bags. aikenstandard.com

ORC Duo hits Walmart store for $600 in teeth-whitening strips in Carrollton, Ga.