Update - Shoplifting ring of 21 targeted Lowe's stores in 5 Western Pa. counties
Cranberry police issued warrants for 21 people implicated in a shoplifting ring targeting 11 Lowe's stores in five Western Pennsylvania counties. Seven suspects have been arrested, said Cranberry police Sgt. Chuck Mascellino. Mascellino said drug addiction, primarily heroin, motivated the thefts, which involved stealing items from one store and returning them to others for credit. They would then sell the store cards to pawn shops for 50 or 60 cents on the dollar," he said. The stores were in Allegheny, Beaver, Butler, Lawrence and Mercer counties. The gift cards turned up in states as far away as Illinois and South Carolina. Mascellino said the suspects stole small, high value electronic goods and tools worth a total of about $28,000 between Feb. 9 and April 15. Nineteen of the suspects are from Beaver County, Mascellino said. One is from Kittanning, and another is from Columbus, Ohio. Police charged all with theft and racketeering. triblive.com

West African gang 'Yahoo Boys' member, 3rd of 21 members, pleads guilty in federal court - work-at-home scheme costing millions  Criminal charges say that the gang would buy bank account and personal information from hackers, steal money, and then send cash or goods to Africa. Often, unsuspecting third parties would be enlisted through work-at-home scams or fake online romances into sending the stolen money or fraudulently purchased goods to South Africa or Nigeria. Investigators say they've found thousands of victims of the scam in the United States, who have collectively lost millions of dollars. sunherald.com

Michigan man - part of traveling credit card fraud gang - sentenced to two-and-a-half yrs in federal prison for Boise retail fraud crimes  According to documents filed in federal court, Stewart was part of a traveling group from Detroit who used counterfeit credit cards to purchase general-use charge cards at 10 stores throughout Twin Falls, Boise and Meridian. idahopress.com



Sheriff's Office busts coupon theft ring in Greenville, S.C.
Two Greenville men and a detention center officer and his wife have been arrested after authorities said thousands of dollars worth of coupons were stolen from the Spartanburg Herald-Journal's distribution center. Spartanburg County investigators said two of the suspects were caught during a surveillance operation Sunday at the distribution center. The men were seen on video stuffing coupons into trash bags, an incident report said. Authorities said the coupon thefts had been happening for about four months. The investigation is ongoing, and more charges are expected, Letterman said. greenvilleonline.com


Queensbury, NY Walmart Loss Prevention apprehends 2 women pushing out $1,000 in merchandise  Two Fort Edward women were arrested Tuesday on felony grand larceny charges for allegedly trying to steal more than $1,000 worth of items from Wal-Mart on Route 9 in Queensbury, police said. Alicia L. Berg, 25, and Kimberly A. Baker, 36, were charged after store security caught them trying to push a cart filled with items that hadn't been paid for out of the store, according to the Warren County Sheriff's Office. Both women were charged with fourth-degree grand larceny. poststar.com

Two Lusby Women Arrested for Shoplifting at Kohl's  On April 21, 2015, St. Mary's County Sheriff's Office responded to Kohl's Department Store for a reported theft. A loss prevention employee observed 2 female suspects conceal several pieces of merchandise. Both suspects then left the store passing all points of purchase. The suspects were able to flee in a vehicle, however responding deputies located the car. The suspects were later identified as Sara Ann Jones, 20, and Haley Marie Gott, 18, both of Lusby, were in possession of over $270.00 in stolen merchandise. smnewsnet.com


Poppy seeds target of shoplifter in Brandon, MS; Investigators say man used poppy seeds to make form of morphine  Brandon police said a man was stealing poppy seeds from a grocery store to make a homegrown form of morphine or heroin. William Marshall, 22, is charged with two counts of shoplifting, police said. photos helped police make the arrest. Marshall surrendered to police and investigators said he confessed to what he was doing with the poppy seeds. According to police, Marshall had as many as 20 cans of poppy seeds that he had stolen from two Kroger locations. Investigators said Marshall used them as part of a recipe he found on the Internet to manufacture the drug using over-the-counter products. "Something this simple, an everyday item, being turned into a narcotic -- I was floored when I heard about it," Chief William Thompson said. Marshall set up a lab in his car and parked at Shiloh Park to mix the highly addictive drug, according to Brandon police investigators. Marshall stashed the ingredients under a nearby bridge, police said. "They are having to find more and different ways -- whether or not they are new or old ways -- in order to get that high because they are addicted to the (opiate) drugs," an undercover Brandon police officer said. wapt.com

Long Beach Bookstore Owner Sentenced in Textbook Theft Ring
A Long Beach bookstore owner was sentenced to state prison Tuesday after pleading no contest to charges he orchestrated a scheme to steal thousands of textbooks with the help of employees from four school districts. Corey Frederick, 44, pleaded no contest to four felony counts of embezzlement and one felony count of bribing a public officer, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office. Frederick, who owned Doorkeeper Textz, was sentenced to 5 years and 8 months in a state prison and must also pay $793,306 in restitution to the Los Angeles Unified School District, according to county officials. Investigators said Frederick paid more than $200,000 in bribes to a dozen employees of LAUSD and school districts in Inglewood, Lynwood and Bellflower over the course of two years. Some employees received as much as $47,000 for the stolen textbooks. Frederick and a dozen other people were charged in August 2013, and all but one person has now been convicted, according to the D.A.'s Office. labusinessjournal.com

Serial shoplifter face years in prison