A South Florida retail theft ring stole $20 million in merchandise. What we know
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More than a dozen people are facing charges in connection with a retail theft ring in South Florida that racked up more than $20 million in losses this year alone, Palm Beach County officials said.
“It is well-organized, it is profitable, it is criminal. This is the modern-day mafia and criminal organizations that we’re taking down,” Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody said during a news conference Monday.
According to the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office, 14 people are currently facing charges after the monthslong investigation, referred to as “Operation On the Fence.” The charges include racketeering and organized retail theft, Moody confirmed.
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What is a retail theft ring?
A retail theft ring is typically described as a group of people looking for a quick way to make money, even by criminal means.
Palm Beach County Detective Christopher Apple said during a news conference Thursday that the scheme has two parts: people known as "boosters," who steal large quantities of merchandise from a number of stores; and those known as "fences," who convert the stolen goods into cash.
What was stolen in the $20 million retail theft ring?
Officials have uncovered surveillance-camera videos of the stolen merchandise, showing stolen items such as medications, boxes of glassware, computers, guitars, televisions and boxes of expensive facial creams and moisturizers.
The investigation resulted in law enforcement seizing more than $1.2 million in stolen merchandise that organizers intended to sell on Amazon, totaling more than 4,800 stolen items.
Some of the retailers the theft ring targeted include:
Walgreens
CVS
Walmart
Publix
Winn Dixie
Fresco Y Mas
Navarro
Lowes
Dick’s Sporting Goods
Target
Sam Ash
Best Buy
Harbor Freight
The Fiddle Shop
Guitar Center
Golf Galaxy
Macy’s
BJ's
Costco
Some pool supply stores
Some small music stores
How did the theft ring steal the items?
Miami-Dade police Maj. Jorge Aguiar said in a news conference that a street team of shoplifters would go into local retailers to take a variety of different items.
The stolen items would then be taken to a second person to catalog each item before they were sold to an online retailer for sale to consumers. This person was identified as Joshua Markell, a Broward County man who owned an Amazon storefront named "Hollywood Seller," which would sell the stolen merchandise to unsuspecting consumers across the nation.
Markell shipped more than 100,000 items to Amazon this year alone, the attorney general's office said.
Aguiar also told the South Florida TV station NBC 6 reporters on Tuesday that the thieves were bold in the way they stole the merchandise.
"They were scanning and printing their own barcodes and putting them over the manufacturers' bar codes. They would access a copy of a store's master key, find a way to open the glass cases and empty out the medications into trash bags, load up shopping carts with items and would just walk out," Aguiar said to reporters.
How were those facing charges caught?
The investigation took nine months, with officers saying it began in January to track down the sellers.
While the operation had been going on for several years, the theft ring stole an estimated $5 million worth of products in the span of the investigation, officials said.
Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said Thursday his department's partnership with several retailers targeted by the ring allowed store owners to alert authorities when items went missing without confronting the suspected thieves.
"Security people at the stores can collect data for us, either a tag number, or a description of the people, and get it to the detectives," he said. "You just can't go, 'Oh, it's a loss, and we'll write it off.' "
How many people were identified in the $20 million theft ring?
As of Oct. 27, 14 people have been identified, including Markell. According to authorities, about 50 people across Florida were involved in the operation.
Authorities also said three people suspected of involvement were still outstanding, but investigators were seeking to take them into custody.
How many agencies were involved with the investigation?
The investigation included multiple South Florida law-enforcement jurisdictions from several counties, including:
Miami-Dade Police Department
Broward Sheriff's Office
Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office
Pembroke Pines Police Department
Coral Springs Police Department
Homeland Security Investigations
Office of Statewide Prosecution
"This just shows what happens when we work together," Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said. "I'm really proud of this collaboration. It uncovered a criminal organization that has caused billions — not millions — billions of dollars in losses to our retail industry and to all of us, the consumers."
What charges do those arrested in the theft ring face?
According to officials, the 14 people, including Markell, are facing charges that include racketeering, organized retail theft, grand theft, dealing in stolen property and other conspiracy charges.
Markell appeared in court for the first time Tuesday. His attorney told the judge Markell didn't know the goods were stolen when he sold them.
Bradshaw appeared skeptical when asked whether someone involved in the theft ring could be unaware that the products were stolen.
"If somebody shows up with 30 items that are the same, don't you think they ought to say, 'Well, what are you doing with those thirty items?' ” he asked.
What does the retail theft statute in Florida say?
Per Florida's State Statutes, it states that:
“Retail theft” means the taking possession of or carrying away of merchandise, property, money, or negotiable documents; altering or removing a label, universal product code, or price tag; transferring merchandise from one container to another; or removing a shopping cart, with intent to deprive the merchant of possession, use, benefit, or full retail value."
What happens in a Florida retail theft case?
Florida courts usually order repeat shoplifters to either pay a fine between $50 and $1,000 or perform community service. Any person who possesses, uses, or attempts to use an anti-shoplifting device in a retail establishment commits a felony of the third degree.
Organized retail theft also carries enhanced penalties.
According to law blog Criminal Defense Lawyer, a person who commits theft in Florida may be held civilly liable to the theft victim for the following amounts:
Three times the amount of monetary damage caused (such as the retail value of the merchandise stolen in the case of shoplifting) or $200, whichever is greater.
Reimbursement of the victim's reasonable attorneys' fees and court costs.
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Retail theft crime ring busted in Florida with 14 suspects charged
