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 "Operation
Powder Burn" Shuts Down Baby Formula Crime Ring
A major organized crime ring accused of stealing thousands of
dollars of baby formula from local grocery stores is out of commission thanks to
a successful investigation and enforcement action by Scottsdale Police, the
Maricopa County Attorney's Office and members of the Arizona Organized Retail
Crime Alliance (AZORCA). As a result of their cooperative efforts, dubbed
"Operation Powder Burn," 17 defendants are now facing multiple felony counts
of organized retail theft, fraudulent schemes, trafficking in stolen
property and assisting a criminal syndicate.
"Operation Powder Burn is a prime example of how businesses and law enforcement
can work together to shut down criminal organizations," said Maricopa County
Attorney Bill Montgomery. "Organized retail crimes of this magnitude harm not
only businesses in our community but consumers as well, by reducing inventory
and increasing costs. These offenses also provide funds that are frequently used
to facilitate other criminal activity," he added.
"Fry's Food Stores is very pleased with the results and the cooperation
between law enforcement agencies and the retailers," said Joe Kopelic, Division
Loss Prevention Manager for Fry's Food Stores. "These criminals travel and
cause harm to our communities and businesses regardless of the city or town and
the joint effort is greatly appreciated. We look forward to continued success in
these endeavors."
Between September 2013 and January 2014, local grocery stores in multiple cities
throughout Maricopa County experienced a dramatic increase in organized retail
thefts. The recurring pattern in these incidents involved suspects entering the
stores and filling reusable shopping bags or shopping carts with cans of baby
formula. The suspects would then exit the store without paying for the formula
and leave the scene in a get-away vehicle with the stolen goods. The thefts
occurred at numerous stores, including Fry's Safeway, Walmart, Albertson's,
Basha's, Winco and Food City.
During the course of their investigation, Loss Prevention Investigators from the
affected retailers and Scottsdale Police Detectives learned that Tyler Hanesford
(D.O.B. 8/5/1987) taught, directed and paid multiple people to steal the formula
and also stole formula himself. Hanesford would then sell the stolen goods to
Deborah Lynn Russell (D.O.B. 2/16/1966), who paid an average of $5.64 per can
compared to the average retail value of $21.12 per can. On February 13, 2014,
investigators served a search warrant at Russell's residence where they
discovered and seized more than six thousand cans of baby formula with a retail
value of approximately $150,000.
By sharing information and surveillance video through the Arizona Organized
Retail Crime Alliance, Loss Prevention Investigators from separate stores were
able to provide Scottsdale Police with evidence to identify individual
perpetrators and the scope of the crime ring. Detectives were ultimately able to
document 94 separate incidents of baby formula thefts from stores in every
jurisdiction from Surprise to Apache Junction representing a monetary loss to
the retailers of $63,838. The total number of incidents and value of stolen
goods attributable to the crime ring is likely much higher.
On August 4, 2014, a Maricopa County Grand Jury handed up a 102-count indictment
against Tyler Hanesford, Deborah Russell and 13 accomplices. Two other
defendants were charged in a separate indictment. By December, 2014, all the
defendants were located and served with the charges. The next scheduled hearing
in the case is a case management conference set for February 26, 2015.
An indictment is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent
until proven guilty.
maricopacountyattorney.org
Clark County, WA., Sheriff's Office honors deputy who led $2M ORC case
Chris Luque led the investigation that dismantled an organized retail theft
ring operating in Washington, Oregon and parts of Nevada that involved over 300
people and more than $2 million in illicit funds. Luque identified the
leader of the scheme, 30-year-old Fred James Engh, who was sentenced to 10 years
in prison. Once Engh was arrested, local retailers immediately noticed a drop in
theft. JC Penney alone saw a 62 percent decrease in the number of returns,
according to the sheriff's office.
columbian.com
 ORC
gang of five arrested after police chase after hitting Fred Meyer stealing
clothes & TV's in Burien, Wash. Loss prevention officers at the Burien
Fred Meyer noticed repeat offenders stealing clothes from the store and reported
the suspects to police, King County Sheriff's Office Sgt. DB Gates said. The
Fred Meyer staffers gave suspect and vehicle descriptions to aid deputies in
their search. A deputy in the area spotted a car matching the description on
state Route 518 and tried to pull the car over, but the car continued down the
highway and the deputies gave chase in a four-minute pursuit, Gates said.
Deputies arrested three men and two women inside the car. They had reportedly
taken televisions from Fred Meyer in the past.
seattlepi.com
 Retailer's
Alert New ORC Ring ID'ed:
Police investigate shoplifting ring in the east Valley - Over a dozen hits -
Selling Jeans to re-sale shops Thieves are targeting stores selling
high end jeans in the east Valley-- and they're doing their homework before they
get there. The incidents happened at two different locations over the years, but
Myers recognized their faces were the same. They called other places selling the
same kind of jeans and found out they weren't the only targets. They then called
a few used clothing stores and found out women matching the description of the
suspects were selling their jeans to resale stores across the Valley. Mesa
police are still investigating. The store owners say one of the suspects is a
blonde woman, and the other is a pale woman with tattoos who dresses like a man
when she robs stores. abc15.com
Fencing Operation: Passaic Co, NJ Sheriff's Office seizes Counterfeit
merchandise; selling $400k to $500k in stolen merchandise The owner of a Main Street clothing store was arrested
Tuesday following a three-month investigation that found he was selling stolen
and counterfeit clothing and accessories bearing major brand names like Gucci
and Louis Vuitton, according to the Passaic County Sheriff's Office. Andres Grullon, 56-year-old, of Clifton, was charged with second-degree counterfeiting
and third-degree fencing and receiving stolen property, authorities said. Grullon's store Kaylee G. Fashion in Paterson is
estimated to be selling $400,000-$500,000 worth of stolen merchandise annually,
authorities said. Authorities said they received complaints from some of the
brands Grullon was selling. A representative from Victoria's Secret informed
authorities Grullon was selling merchandise that were exclusively sold at the
company's stores leading to an investigation.
patersontimes.com
Huntsville, AL woman connected to 10 Jewelry Store thefts in Southern
California; nearly $50,000 A woman has been arrested in connection
with 10 jewelry thefts from high-end Southern California stores, including
several in Orange County. Thu Thao Thi Vu, 59, of Huntsville, Ala. has been
arrested on multiple counts of commercial burglary, Jennifer Manzella, a
spokeswoman for the Newport Beach Police Department, said. Since 2012, Vu has
visited California on several occasions, for weeks at a time, Manzella said. She
was arrested in Garden Grove on Friday, based on information gathered during the
police investigation. Vu is believed to have targeted malls and shopping centers
in Orange, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Diego and San Bernardino counties, where
she would use distraction techniques to steal jewelry from high-end department
stories, Manzella said. She is suspected of working alone, Manzella said. The
value of the stolen items is more than $47,600. During her most recent trip to
California, Vu is believed to have frequented a dozen shopping malls and
shopping centers, including Fashion Island in Newport Beach, The Outlets at
Orange, South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa, Westfield MainPlace in Santa Ana and
Westminster Mall, Manzella said.
al.com
ORC man arrested committing 14 frauds at
convenience stores in Lansing, MI.
34 diamond rings worth $13K stolen from Rock Hill, SC Walmart
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