Woman accused of shoplifting $74,000 worth of merchandise
A Kentucky woman was arrested after police say she stole $74,000 worth of merchandise from a department store and sold it at a consignment store across the street. Police say the thefts took place over a period of a year, beginning on Jan. 18, 2017, and ending on Feb. 22, 2018. According to an arrest warrant, 57-year-old Betty Mitchell was caught on surveillance video several times stealing “large quantities” of items from the Belk department store in Elizabethtown. Within days of those thefts, police say the same merchandise was sold to the consignment shop across the street. Police say employees of the consignment shop had no idea the merchandise sold to them had been stolen. Police say they served a search warrant at Mitchell’s home and found 94 items belonging to Belk. Additionally, employees at the consignment shop told police they are holding 568 clothing items which also belong to Belk. The department store estimates that, over the course of a year, Mitchell stole about $74,000 worth of items. A warrant was issued for Mitchell’s arrest on Feb. 28, and she was taken into custody the next day. She’s charged with theft by unlawful taking (shoplifting) in an amount of $10,000 or more. Mitchell is currently being held in the Hardin County Detention Center. [Source: WDRB News]
Three big box cashiers arrested for grand theft
At 12:10 p.m. Feb. 22, police were called to The Home Depot in Cleveland, Ohio, where loss prevention associates had detained a female cashier. The cashier was suspected of taking cash from a store register, in addition to snacks. Further, the woman allowed a man, later identified as a local landscaper, to take merchandise from the store at greatly discounted prices. The man allegedly offered the cashier $150 cash so that she would not charge him more than $300 for merchandise he bought over the course of several trips to the store since early January. In all, the theft amounted to $13,739. Then, at 2:20 p.m. Feb. 22, police were again called to The Home Depot where the cashier’s female cousin, also a cashier at the store, was also accused of allowing the landscaper to leave without fully paying for merchandise. The total amount of stolen goods in this cashier’s case was $7,553. Finally, at 4:10 p.m. the same day, police were again called to Home Depot. Once more, a female cashier was accused of not ringing up merchandise totaling $1,051. All three cashiers were arrested, jailed and charged with grand theft.n all, the theft amounted to $13,739. Then, at 2:20 p.m. Feb. 22, police were again called to The Home Depot where the cashier’s female cousin, also a cashier at the store, was also accused of allowing the landscaper to leave without fully paying for merchandise. The total amount of stolen goods in this cashier’s case was $7,553. Finally, at 4:10 p.m. the same day, police were again called to Home Depot. Once more, a female cashier was accused of not ringing up merchandise totaling $1,051. All three cashiers were arrested, jailed and charged with grand theft. [Source: Cleveland.com]
Man found with 34 fake credit cards; faces charges of fraud
The Lee County Sheriff’s Office arrested a Fort Myers, Florida, man for fuel theft and trafficking of counterfeit credit cards, according to officials. The sheriff’s office conducted an operation in February at local gas stations related to recent fuel theft, illegal transport of fuel and credit card fraud. During the operation, a driver of a full-size van was seen swiping several credit cards at gas station pumps. The driver was then pulled over. A search of the van revealed that the cargo inside contained a large illegal fuel tank. The driver was identified as Adrian Morales-Hernandez. He faces charges of unlawful conveyance of fuel. Upon a second search of his vehicle, deputies found 34 counterfeit credit cards disguised as Walmart gift cards. He faces additional charges of trafficking in/possession of counterfeit credit cards. [Source: WINK News]
Equifax’s massive 2017 data breach keeps getting worse
Equifax said Thursday that 2.4 million more consumers than previously reported were affected by the massive data breach the company suffered last year, adding to an already stunning toll. This means that as many as 147.9 million consumers have been affected in some way by the breach, which amounts to about half the country. The affected people’s compromised information involves partial driver’s license data. It does not include Social Security numbers, which was the focus of earlier analyses of the breach and the reason this group of consumers was not identified sooner, according to the credit reporting company. “This is not about newly discovered stolen data,” said Paulino do Rego Barros Jr., Equifax’s interim chief executive. “It’s about sifting through the previously identified stolen data, analyzing other information in our databases that was not taken by the attackers, and making connections that enabled us to identify additional individuals.” This is not the first time Equifax has expanded its estimate of the breach’s impact, which initially was put at 143 million consumers. In October, the company raised its estimate by 2.5 million, to 145.5 million. The company was dragged to Capitol Hill to answer for its missteps, with former chief executive Richard Smith — who by then had resigned in light of the crisis — accepting responsibility for the breach. [Source: The Washington Post]
Chicago area woman pleads guilty to ORC in 3 counties
The third member of an organized retail theft ring that targeted stores across the suburbs pleaded guilty to retail theft. In exchange for her guilty plea, Natsasa Petrov, 37, was sentenced to 60 days in jail and 24 months of probation Monday. She was also ordered to pay $759 in fines. Authorities say the four-person ring targeted department and specialty stores in Arlington Heights, Bloomingdale, Downers Grove, Gurnee, Schaumburg, Vernon Hills and other suburbs. According to Arlington Heights police, who led a joint investigation into the thefts, some defendants distracted loss prevention officers and employees while others took Apple, Samsung and Lego products from a variety of stores, including Bed Bath & Beyond, Hobby Lobby, The Home Depot and Toys R Us. The four, who authorities say lived in Northbrook, subsequently sold the items on an online auction site, police said. Dragan Moro Owens, 39, pleaded guilty in November 2017 to retail theft in exchange for a 4½-year sentence. Zvanko Dobobrov, 24, pleaded guilty in 2016 in exchange for two years probation. Charges are still pending against Kochak Owens, 31. He next appears in court on April 2. [Source: Daily Herald]
JCPenney cuts 360 jobs as sales miss
JCPenney on Friday said total sales in the fourth quarter rose 1.8% year over year to $4.03 billion, and comparable sales rose 2.6% in the period. Top-performing divisions in Q4 were jewelry, home, Sephora, footwear and handbags, and salon, according to a company release. Net income was $254 million, or 81 cents per share. That figure includes a $75 million tax benefit JCPenney logged for the quarter after last year’s Republican tax bill. Without the benefit, net income in Q4 was $179 million, or 57 cents per share, a 6.6% drop from the year-ago period. Earnings beat the FactSet consensus estimate cited by MarketWatch of 47 cents per share, but sales missed the consensus by $20 million and same-stores missed by 0.1%. Shares of the department store retailer were down more than 10% in pre-market trading. Also on Friday, the retailer said it has eliminated more than 350 jobs, including 130 positions from its home office and another 230 from its group, regional and support teams, while the company moved other employees into different positions. The company said in a press release that the move “eliminated bureaucracy” and would save $20 million to $25 million per year. JCPenney also said it moved Joe McFarland, vice president of stores, into an expanded role as executive vice president and chief customer officer, where he will oversee merchandising and store operations. [Source: RetailDIVE]
