Organized retail crime remains a serious problem for retailers across the country and around the world. Every day, there are countless stories about criminal enterprises victimizing stores, threatening the safety of customers and employees, and the very fabric of the retail industry. To give you a better feel for the vast impact of the problem, we have provided a glimpse into just a few of the incidents that took place in the month of May 2025.
Armenian Organized Crime Rings Charged with Stealing $83M in Amazon Cargo
Department of Justice officials have charged members of an Armenian organized crime ring with stealing more than $83 million worth of cargo from Amazon by posing as legitimate truck drivers and siphoning off goods destined for the company’s warehouses. Truckloads of merchandise were stolen, ranging from smart TVs and GE icemakers to SharkNinja vacuums and air fryers. DOJ said the alleged fraudsters operated four transport carriers that would obtain contracted freight routes. Each trucker is assigned a load for pickup from a manufacturer’s warehouse to be dropped off at an Amazon facility. Instead, the groups would divert from their designated routes, take a portion of the goods off the trucks, and resell them or gift them to associates. DOJ officials linked the defendants to a litany of other alleged crimes, including attempted murder, kidnapping, illegal firearm possession, and healthcare fraud.
LA Police Seize Nearly $4M of Stolen Goods in Massive Bust of South American Crime Syndicate
Authorities in Los Angeles recently uncovered a massive stolen goods operation, recovering nearly $4 million in merchandise that was allegedly swiped by an organized theft crew. An “extensive investigation” into two members of a South American crime ring steered detectives toward several storage unit facilities in San Fernando Valley. After serving search warrants, detectives uncovered millions of dollars in stolen goods—including tequila, coffee, shoes, and clothing, as well as bitcoin mining computers that are collectively worth roughly $2.7 million.
Florida Man Sentenced to 9 Years in Federal Prison for Multi-Year $1.1M Retail Fraud Scheme
A Florida man has been sentenced to nine years in federal prison in Charleston, South Carolina for his role in a multi-year wire fraud scheme. The investigation revealed that the man, along with his conspirators, were involved in an extensive, multi-state scheme to defraud a chain of home improvement stores, gaining access to corporate accounts and then creating fraudulent forms of identification for authorized users on the corporate account. Once at the home improvement store, they would shop and charge the purchases to the various corporate accounts.
8 Arrested, Over $1.3M Worth of Stolen Goods Found in LA County
Eight suspects were arrested after authorities discovered over $1.3 million worth of stolen retail merchandise in Los Angeles County. Authorities executed search warrants at several undisclosed locations where they discovered $1,359,226 worth of stolen merchandise taken during cargo thefts. Merchandise found at the locations included 288 electric bikes, many boxes of Sony televisions, A/C units, L’Oreal beauty products, Kenwood speakers, coffee beans, FlavCity Electrolyte mix, hot chocolate, and more.
Man Sentenced After Arrest in Lexington in Potential $1M Gift Card Scam
A Chinese man arrested in Lexington in a gift card fraud scheme that could have cost consumers $1 million has been sentenced to prison. He was in the US illegally and will be deported after he finishes his prison sentence. Police arrested the suspect after he was seen stealing gift cards at several Kroger supermarkets and putting tampered cards back on the shelves. Police found more than 2,600 gift cards in his car and in packages he had sent from Ohio and Lexington to California to be altered. If people had bought all the cards and put the maximum amount on all of them, the total value would have been $1,047,900.
Man Stole More Than $500K in Store Items
A Justice, Illinois man was sentenced to four years in prison after pleading guilty to stealing more than $500,000 in merchandise. During a search of the suspect’s car, Chicago police recovered items that led the task force to several storage units where officers found stolen merchandise, the attorney general’s office said. The units contained four semitrailers of items, including clothing, electronics, cosmetics, mattresses, and pet supplies.
Suspected Thief in 195 Incidents Caught in Boise
The Boise Police Department’s Organized Retail Crime Unit was alerted to a nationwide theft suspect after a retail theft occurred at an Ulta Beauty store in Burley, Idaho. Ulta Beauty participates in the Organized Retail Crime Association of Idaho and reports detailed descriptions of suspects and their vehicles after thefts occur. The individual identified by police is suspected of being involved in at least 195 theft incidents, all targeting the same national retail chain across multiple states. Police believe the total loss to the company is over $100,000.
2 Women Sentenced to 10 Years for Multi-State Scheme Targeting Walmart, Target Stores Across Georgia
Prosecutors said two women have been sentenced to ten years in prison for operating a multi-state organized retail theft scheme involving AirPod purchases at Walmart and Target locations, stealing nearly $141,000 in merchandise across Georgia and 20 other states. Their scheme involved purchasing Apple AirPods with cash, removing the AirPods from the packaging, replacing them with cheaper items, resealing the boxes to make them appear unopened, and returning the boxes for full cash refunds. They also resold the AirPods they removed, and in some cases used the refunded money to buy more AirPods, continuing the cycle.
Man Believed to Be Part of Retail Theft Crew Arrested for Stealing $120K in Designer Merchandise
Police in Costa Mesa arrested a suspect who allegedly stole approximately $120,000 in designer merchandise. The Costa Mesa Police Department reports that an employee at “a well-known retail chain” called them to report that clothing, designer handbags, and shoes were stolen from the store’s shipping trailer. Detectives were able to identify the suspect vehicles and tied them to different homes throughout Southern California.
ICE, Multi-Agency Case Dismantles Active Identity of Theft Mill, Organized Retail Scheme
Felony charges were filed against three people involved in a suspected identity theft mill, where stolen identities were used in an organized retail crime scheme. This investigation began with a referral from a Signet Jeweler’s Corporate Fraud Investigator and involved suspects applying for store credit cards using stolen identities, then using those credit lines to purchase merchandise with no intention to pay them back. The defendants fraudulently obtained over $100,000 worth of merchandise from high-end retail stores and Harbor Freight retailers.
Bay Area Men Accused of Stealing $92K Worth of Home Depot Merchandise
Authorities have dismantled a “prolific” organized retail theft ring tied to nearly 200 Home Depot heists, resulting in tens of thousands of dollars in stolen merchandise in Northern California. The Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office announced they arrested four suspects for their alleged coordinated raids at several Home Depot stores. The quartet stole power tools, pliers, blades, and saws from the hardware stores. Over 1,000 items stolen from Home Depot were found in a storage unit during their operation. Detectives said the suspects caused more than $92,000 in losses overall. The suspects are accused of reselling the stolen goods at flea markets in Oakland and San Jose.
Counterfeit Goods
Chicago Agents Make Timely Bust on Costly Crime: Counterfeit Watches, Fake Driver’s Licenses
US Customs and Border Protection agents in Chicago intercepted hundreds of counterfeit watches and counterfeit driver’s licenses. More than 4,345 counterfeit licenses were seized. Officers at O’Hare International Airport seized 145 shipments of counterfeit watches and 340 shipments containing counterfeit driver’s licenses. All 485 shipments came from China and Hong Kong. The fake watches were branded as Rolex, Patek Philippe, Cartier, Omega, Audemars Piguet, and others. The suggested retail price of the watches was more than $9.22 million while the thousands of fake driver’s licenses were addressed to destinations across the United States.
CBP Houston Announces Seizure of Counterfeit Apple Phone Chargers Worth Over $7M
US Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) Area Port of Houston/Galveston has announced the seizure of 373,000 counterfeit USB phone chargers (lightning cables) with an appraised MSRP of just over $7 million. 7,460 cartons containing the phone charges bore the “Apple” trademark, and confirmed to be counterfeit by both CBP and Apple representatives.
Federal Agents Investigating Milwaukee Stores for Counterfeit Goods
Investigators accuse a Jordanian national of importing and trafficking counterfeit goods to stores in Milwaukee. Customs and border patrol agents seized 18 shipments containing counterfeit merchandise, addressed to the owner, before they made it to stores. The document says if the items were real, import specialists believed they’d be worth more than $1.6 million. The shipments were coming from Hong Kong to the United States. Federal agents uncovered packages that were improperly labeled, like a shipment manifested as a “children’s box,” with a declared value of $30. Inside, agents found 36 counterfeit Rolex watches valued at $966,800.
4 Italian Nationals Accused of Running an Electronic Goods Counterfeit Ring
DuPage County State’s Attorney and Elmhurst Chief of Police announced that the court has granted the state’s motion to detain four Italian nationals accused of operating an electronics counterfeit ring worth more than $573, 237. During their investigation, officers allegedly found numerous counterfeit items including Apple iPhones, Apple Watches, Apple AirPod Pros, Apple battery packs, Apple iPads, Apple AirPod Maxes, Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra Cell Phones, and Dyson hair dryers along with more than $90,000 in cash.
He Bought At Least 140 iPads from Targets in Eastern Washington; What He Returned Were Fakes
A 24-year-old man stole $326,000 from area Target stores in a counterfeit iPad fraud scheme in which he’d swap real devices for fakes and then return them to stores. He would purchase authentic iPads from Target stores in Eastern Washington and elsewhere, removing them from their boxes and replacing them with counterfeit iPads. He then resealed the boxes, returned the counterfeit iPads, and received a refund on a Target gift card. Target stores lost about $326,000 in the fraudulent iPad scheme.
$200k in Counterfeit Designer Goods Seized in Delray Beach; 84-Year-Old Store Owner Arrested
An 84-year-old man is accused of selling counterfeit designer items after more than $200,000 worth of counterfeit merchandise was seized from his store in Delray Beach. The counterfeit items included handbags and accessories from brands such as Louis Vuitton, Hermes, Chanel, and Prada. Expert brand representatives confirmed the items were counterfeit, with Louis Vuitton providing an affidavit verifying the fraudulent nature of the goods.
CBP Seized More Than $198,000 in Counterfeit Products
US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the Rochester Port of Entry seized a variety of designer items for bearing counterfeit trademarks. CBP officers at the Port of Rochester inspected several shipments that contained multiple “designer” handbags, wallets, clothing, watches, and shoes, amongst other items. After a thorough examination of the merchandise, all the items were determined to be inauthentic and were seized for bearing counterfeit trademarks. Had these items been genuine, the total Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) value would be approximately $198,100 dollars.
1,800 Counterfeit Goods Seized at New Mexico Port
US Customs and Border Protection officers at the Columbus port of entry in southern New Mexico seized more than 1,800 counterfeit goods with a suggested retail price of $168,037. The shipment contained 1,816 items, including brand name auto parts, consumer electronics, Harry Potter-themed goods, and card games. The shipment from China was destined for an address in Mexico. CBP worked with the trademark holder to confirm that the goods were not a legitimate product, and the seizure was authorized.
For Those Interested in Learning More
May was a busy month for those involved in organized retail crime. For those interested in learning more, here are some of the additional incidents that took place. Click on the links to explore some of these events:
Ankle Monitor Leads to Arrest in Retail Theft Spree from Palm Beach to Broward Counties
A known prolific offender was arrested after his ankle monitor led investigators to a series of thefts and pawn transactions across Palm Beach and Broward counties involving the theft and resale of more than $45,000 in high-value items.
DeKalb mother, son among 6 indicted in retail theft ring targeting T.J. Maxx, HomeGoods stores
A DeKalb County mother and her teenage son are among six people indicted on RICO charges following an investigation conducted by the Attorney General’s Organized Retail Crime Unit. Prosecutors accused the defendants of operating an organized retail crime scheme involving tens of thousands of dollars from stores and then converted the stolen items into more than $40,000 in cash.
Police Bust Organized Theft Ring, Donate Seized Goods to Women’s Shelter
A man accused of being part of a major organized retail theft ring was hit with multiple charges after police said he stole nearly $40,000 worth of merchandise and resold it from his New Haven bodega. Much of the stolen merchandise, which included hundreds of bottles of detergent and household items, was stored at a state police facility. But instead of destroying the evidence, state police donated the recovered merchandise to local women’s shelters.
Thieves Swipe Over $45K in Beauty Products Across Santa Clara County
A team of thieves has hauled away more than $45,000 worth of beauty products from Ulta Beauty stores, leaving a trail of larceny that stretches across Santa Clara County and beyond. The break in the case came when authorities stumbled upon not just stolen cosmetics, perfumes, sunglasses, clothing, and tools, but also incriminating remnants of illicit drug activity, including suspected ecstasy powder and pills, drug paraphernalia, packaging materials, and digital scales.
Leeds Police Dismantle Major Fencing Operation with Walmart and Target Collaboration
Detectives from the Leeds Police Department’s Special Investigations Unit, in collaboration with Walmart Global Investigations and Security and Target Investigations, have dismantled a fencing operation affecting multiple cities in central Alabama. The investigation identified a convicted murderer who allegedly honed his skills while incarcerated in the Alabama prison system.
CHP Recovers Over $52,000 Worth of Stolen Goods in Northern California Operation
More than $52,000 worth of stolen merchandise was recovered during a Northern California retail theft operation. After weeks of investigation, CHP’s Organized Retail Crime Task Force uncovered a large, organized theft operation using online platforms and flea market-style events to sell the stolen items. 2,500 stolen items were recovered. Additionally, $10,000 in cash and a firearm were seized.
Your input and support can help send a critical message. If you have an ORC case that you would like to submit for the monthly round-up, please send an email to us at editor@losspreventionmedia.com.
