CALIFORNIA — A retail theft ring stole more than $1 million in jewelry from JCPenny and Sam’s Club stores across nine counties in the Golden State, prosecutors said Friday.
Two guilty pleas were obtained from two members of the organized theft group, while charges were filed against two other people accused of taking part in the theft ring, Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta said in a statement.
“Organized retail theft costs businesses, retailers, and consumers – and puts the public at risk,” Bonta wrote in a statement. “Brazen criminal activity, such as the organized retail theft operation we are taking action against today, will not be tolerated in California.”
After a California Highway Patrol operation that spanned two years, authorities apprehended Anton Salaam, Marion Paul Tilley, who both pleaded guilty, Bonta said.
A third suspect was charged with organized retail theft and child endangerment after an illegal assault weapon was found in the presence of the suspect’s 9-year-old child. A fourth suspect was also charged with organized retail theft, prosecutors said.
Between September 2020 and February 2021, Salaam, Tilley and other suspects in the case were accused of committing smash-and-grab type robberies at several stores across the following counties: Contra Costa, Fresno, Kern, Kings, Los Angeles, Placer, Sacramento, San Bernardino, and Tulare.
“The suspects in this case entered stores by breaking and entering though exterior doors and stealing high-end jewelry,” persecutors wrote.
The news comes months flash mobs of thieves descended on stores across several counties during the holiday season, raising the alarm statewide. While such cases slowed down into this year, they are still being reported.
In March, a group of assailants used sledgehammers to smash into a Beverly Hills store. The group made off with an estimated $5 million worth of jewelry, local police told NBC.
U.S. retailers lose approximately $700,000 per every $1 billion in sales to organized retail crime, according to a 2020 national survey, Bonta’s office said.
“California is doing more than ever to crack down on retail theft, hold criminals accountable, and protect local businesses,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement. “I am grateful for the hard work of Attorney General Bonta and the CHP in their work to curb retail crime and ensure Californians feel safe.”
