San Diego, CA: Imperial Valley business owner admits trafficking $3.2 Million in counterfeit cell phone parts
An Imperial Valley businessman pleaded guilty in federal court Thursday to a long-running conspiracy involving money laundering and the trafficking of millions of dollars of counterfeit cell phone parts. Octavio Cesar Sana, a Spanish national with legal U.S. residency, admitted in a plea agreement that he sold at least $3.2 million worth of Chinese-made counterfeit cell phone parts through businesses he operated since 2007-including a website called "Flexqueen.com." Sana admitted in his plea agreement that he and co-conspirator Hongwei Du attended meetings in the United States to set up and expand their counterfeit trafficking ventures. The two were arrested Feb. 3 at the Imperial Valley Airport following an extensive investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Criminal Investigations. HSI special agents executed a series of search warrants throughout the U.S., resulting in the seizure of more than 55,000 counterfeit items and additional criminal charges in several jurisdictions. imperialvalleynews.com

Portland, OR: Detectives have a mountain of evidence to sift through after hauling out an estimated $50,000 of stolen merchandise from a residence that was part of an organized retail theft operation
PPB detectives searched a home in the 4200 block of SE 90th Avenue on September 16 and found "a large cache of suspected stolen property," police spokesperson Sgt. Pete Simpson told KOIN 6 News. Detectives seized 45 large trash bags of stolen property, mostly clothing and shoes, many with the tags and security sensors still attached. koin.com
 

Houston, TX: 14 Buc-ee's locations across the state have been
targeted by ID theft Ring 
As reported Friday here in the Daily, now it is believe that the scope of the ID theft investigation has branched out to several other locations. At Buc-ee's, the chain of super stores/gas stations that has captured Texas's heart, you can count on clean bathrooms and delicious roadside treats, but those could potentially come at a premium. On Friday, the Houston Chronicle reported that 14 Buc-ee's locations across the state have been targeted in a large-scale identity theft ring. Thieves have used stolen credit card information to steal over $18,000 from the company, which has to front the bill for the fraudulent charges. American Express users have been the primary targets for the fraudsters and are largely buying cartons of cigarettes. texasmonthly.com


Waterford, CT: Two Women Walk Out of Walmart With Two TVs
Waterford Police are investigating after two women stole 2 televisions from the Waterford Walmart. According to Police, the 2 females entered the store and removed the spider wrap security device from a 40 inch television and walked out of the store. Police said the 2 women then changed clothes, re-entered the store and stole another TV in the same way. patch.com


Augusta, GA: Roof-top Burglars steal 140 cartons of cigarettes from c-store
Richmond County Deputies are looking for a man they say cut a hole in the roof of a convenience store to steal more than $10,000 of cash and cigarettes. Investigators say a man could be seen on surveillance video around 2:20 Friday morning, breaking into the office at the Time Saver through a hole in the ceiling. They say the suspect had a flashlight and fumbled around until he found a light switch. When he turned it on, deputies say he looked directly at the camera. The store manager told deputies the man stole $4,000 in cash and 140 cartons of cigarettes worth $6,720. wrdw.com

Augusta, GA: Police ID suspects in Saturday's $900 theft at Wal-Mart
City police say they have identified the two people who are suspects in a theft of about $900 worth of merchandise from Wal-Mart. Photos of the couple were posted on agency's Facebook page Monday morning, and by 11:30 a.m. police indicated through social media they had identified the man and woman in the photos. centralmaine.com