ORC ring of five busted in Peoria, Ariz., hitting 43 Valley stores  Five people have been arrested for allegedly using specially designed pants to steal from numerous drug stores throughout the West Valley. Police said for more than a month they worked with investigators from Walgreens and CVS to identify who was behind the string of thefts. According to authorities, more than $30,000 worth of merchandise had been taken from stores in Peoria, Phoenix, Goodyear, Avondale and the Litchfield Park area. After the suspects stole the merchandise they would allegedly turn around and sell the items to other people for cash. (Source azfamily.com) (Source kpho.com)

ORC couple busted in Port Orchard, WA., hitting Walmart, Target, and other retailers  A Bremerton woman was charged with second-degree organized theft in Kitsap County District Court March 11 for allegedly shoplifting more than $850 of merchandise from Walmart in Port Orchard and other retail stores in the county. According to charging papers, Gomez also allegedly attempted to steal more than $1,300 of merchandise from Target in Silverdale on March 2, but was stopped by loss prevention personnel. She escaped with an $80 portable DVD player. (Source centralkitsapreporter.com)

Boston ring leader and store owner busted using "runners" with stolen identities & fake credit cards to buy cell phones & high-end electronics for re-sale  From his kiosk in Boston’s Downtown Crossing, a man led a sprawling identity theft ring that netted tens of thousands of dollars. The operation was abruptly halted after Shahab ­“David” Yousheei, 36, was arrested Thursday morning on Boston Common when he allegedly tried to buy counterfeit money in a sting operation. Authorities said Yousheei carried out his scheme by using stolen identities to create credit cards, using those to buy gift cards, and then selling merchandise that he purchased with the gift cards. He is also accused of buying smartphones with stolen identities at discounted prices for new account holders and selling the phones for a profit. Further, Yousheei provided associates with an illegal credit card encoder so they could make cards with stolen identities. (Source cbslocal.com)

Leader of identity theft ring sentenced to 12 years 
Lawrence Fudge, 47 years of age, originally of Philadelphia, was sentenced to 144 months in prison for running a fraud and identity theft ring in Philadelphia for at least six years. Fudge pleaded guilty in December 2012 to conspiracy, six counts of bank fraud, eight counts of access device fraud, and 18 counts of aggravated identity theft. According to federal authorities, some examples of Fudge’s fraud include: in August 2011, accounts at Home Depot, Lowe’s, and Target were opened using the identity of victim C.S. More than $8,000 in purchases were made with those fraudulent accounts and more than $1,500 was fraudulently withdrawn from her Bank of America bank account. In that same timeframe, accounts at Lowe’s, Target, and Sam’s Club were opened using the identity of victim M.W. with more than $15,000 in purchases made with those fraudulent accounts, and additional accounts at Best Buy and Staples attempted to be opened. Also in that same time frame, accounts at Home Depot, Lowe’s, Best Buy, and Target were opened using the identity of victim P.V. with more than $10,000 in purchases made with those fraudulent accounts. (Source westmorelandtimes.com)

Old fashion Train Robberies, happen everyday; operated by highly Organized Theft Rings.  California is the leader, but followed closely by New Jersey, Chicago and Florida, these train robberies are costing retailer millions. Investigations reveal that suspects spend days researching train yards, and then hide under the axels waiting for the right time to hit. (Source kpho.com)