SACRAMENTO, Calif. — About $62,000 in cash and $135,000 of stolen merchandise was recovered in Los Angeles on Monday when police arrested five people they suspect of organizing a retail theft ring hitting stores all over California, including in Sacramento.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a press release Friday nine people in total are charged in connection with goods stolen from retailers like Macy's, J.C. Penney and Abercrombie & Fitch.
Bonta said they have been charged with conspiracy, felony grand theft and receiving stolen property.
Three of the suspects are charged in a separate complaint for allegedly having $17,000 in stolen merchandise on them.
Police were still trying to find a ninth suspect. They were all charged with conspiracy to commit a felony, organized retail theft, grand theft, possession of stolen property, and a special allegation that the theft totaled more than $100,000, Bonta said.
He said the group allegedly stole and transported hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of goods from stores in Los Angeles, Alameda, Fresno, Kern, Orange, Riverside, Sacramento, San Bernardino, San Mateo, Santa Clara and Ventura counties. They then allegedly shipped the stolen merchandise internationally.
“Today we take another step toward tackling this issue by announcing the arrests and felony charges against individuals alleged to be participants in an organized criminal scheme targeting retailers throughout our state," Bonta said in his release. "I want to thank the California Highway Patrol and our retail partners for their collaboration and help in this investigation. As our state’s chief law enforcement officer, I will continue to aggressively pursue and hold accountable those who participate in organized retail theft.”
State lawmakers are considering two bills to address organized retail theft. One bill would create an online reporting platform for consumers to report suspected stolen goods for sale online. Another would allow separate instances of retail theft to be counted in aggregate toward the existing $950 felony threshold approved by voters in 2014.
"My bill, AB 2390, would hold criminal offenders accountable while providing diversion programs to address the root causes of the crime, such as poverty, mental disorder, or childhood trauma,” said Assembly Member Al Muratsuchi, a Democrat, who introduced the bill on Thursday.
He added: “Currently too many offenders charged with a misdemeanor for theft under $950 are not given any jail time and often re-offend. This bill would help deter serial theft by holding offenders accountable while offering necessary support services so that they will not re-offend."
