Nearly $3M Home Depot, Lowe’s Theft Ring Hit Pennsylvania, 18 Other States: Montco DA
A theft ring targeting Home Depot, Lowe’s, and other retailers caused nearly $3 million in losses across 19 states — including New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, Maryland, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Virginia — authorities announced on Tuesday, Oct. 27.
Eight men have been arrested and a ninth is wanted after investigators uncovered a network of more than 30 people handling thefts, transportation, storage, and resale of stolen merchandise, Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele and Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel said.
The group committed hundreds of thefts begi…
Netflix Show Takes Over Downtown Metuchen For Season 2 Filming
A New Jersey town got a Hollywood makeover this week.
Netflix's "Big Mistakes", produced by and starring Dan Levy, as well as Laurie Metcalf and Poorna Jagannathan, was filmed in and around Yestercades and Peterson Park, Mayor Jonathan M. Busch said on Thursday, Sept. 27.
Yestercades, a business in town, was transformed for the day into the fictional “Caputo’s Yarn & Crafts,” according to Busch.
According to Netflix’s Tudum, the series centers on Nicky, played by Levy, and Morgan, played by Taylor Ortega, siblings who become tangled up with organized crime after a botched theft meant t…
Fredericksburg Lego Theft Suspect Runs Across I-95, Ends Up In Jaws Of Police Dog After Chase
A stolen stack of LEGO sets sparked a wild I-95 chase that ended with a suspect running through traffic, bolting into the woods, and getting hauled out by a police dog, according to police in Virginia.
Richmond resident Stephon Davis, 29, and Mechanicsville resident Jayden Ballard, 21, led multiple police agencies on a wild chase following a botched robbery in Fredericksburg.
According to the Fredericksburg Police Department, officers were called to the Target on Carl D. Silver Parkway, where a caller told dispatchers that suspects were leaving the store in a U-Haul.
Officers got ther…
Pepper Spray, Getaway Crews Used In $155K Luxury Store Theft Spree In Bensalem
A violent, high-end retail theft spree spanning Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware involved pepper spray attacks, coordinated getaway crews, and hundreds of stolen luxury items, according to a 98-page criminal complaint.
Nehemeiah Jones, 31, of Norristown, is accused of running the operation, which targeted stores including Lululemon, Diesel, Givenchy, Nordstrom, and Dick’s Sporting Goods, resulting in more than $155,000 in losses, authorities announced on Thursday, April 23.
The nearly 100-page complaint outlines a months-long pattern of thefts beginning in April 2024, with incidents …
Fairfield Wife Of Lucchese Ringleader Flaunted Luxe Life Before $2M Sports Betting Bust
Kim Zito was up early Sunday, Nov. 16, posting a photo of herself and her husband with a small red heart.
The post came just days after both were charged in an illegal $2 million sports betting ring, with Zito's 55-year-old husband, Joe Perna, acting as the operation's financier, according to New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin.
According to Platkin, Perna is a soldier in the notorious Lucchese crime family, and utilized Zito's 23-year-old son, a former Bergen Catholic football player, his ex-wife, Rosanna Magno, an insurance agent, and nearly a dozen former hig…
Ex-Washington Wizards Star Gilbert Arenas Threw High-Stakes Poker Parties At CA Mansion: DOJ
Former NBA star Gilbert Arenas has been arrested and charged in a sprawling federal case accusing him and others of running high-stakes illegal poker games out of his mansion in California.
Arenas, 43, who the centerpiece for the Washington Wizards for years, was taken into custody Wednesday, July 30, along with five others, including a suspected high-ranking member of an Israeli transnational organized crime group, federal prosecutors said.
According to the US Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, the Woodland Hills resident, also known as “Agent Zero,” is charged with:…
Sex Slave Sting: Women Held In NJ Homes, Forced Into Brothels, AG Says
Eight people have been charged with racketeering and human trafficking for running a prostitution ring out of several homes in Trenton and Camden, authorities said.
New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin announced the charges on Tuesday, July 1, following a months-long investigation that began in May 2024. At least 15 victims were located during raids at five properties, investigators said.
According to the criminal complaints, Vilma Deleon Bracamonte, also known as “Janet,” 55, of Hamilton, and Maria Soledad Xec Chan, 42, of Trenton, were the alleged ringleaders. They face charges …
Ghost Gun, Uzi Seized In Somerset County Raid: Two Elizabeth Men Busted, Prosecutor Says
Two Elizabeth men were arrested and charged after numerous firearms were found at their residences, authorities announced on Monday, June 2.
On Wednesday, May 7, at 8:30 p.m., the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office Organized Crime and Narcotics Task force, along with members of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and other law enforcement agencies conducted a search warrant at two residences in Elizabeth, located on Magnolia Avenue and Murray Street, Somerset County Prosecutor John McDonald said.
The searches led to the seizure of eight handguns, includi…
Asian Mobster Stole $12K From NJ Resident's Bank Account: Fairfield PD
An organized crime member from Flushing was arrested and charged on Thursday, May 22, with stealing $12,000 from a Fairfield resident's bank account last November, authorities said.
Xuan Jin, 50, obtained personal banking information from a Fairfield resident and used that information for cash withdrawals, Fairfield police said. In total, over two days, $12,000 was withdrawn from the victim’s account, police said.
Fairfield police worked with law enforcement in New York City, Rockland County and Fort Lee to identify Jin as the suspect, officers said. Jin's organized crime ring is known to p…
US Issues Urgent Travel Warnings Covering 2 Countries: What To Know
The US State Department is warning Americans against traveling to part of one country and has issued a do not travel warning for one of its neighboring nations.
A Level 3 Reconsider Travel Advisory covers these parts of eastern Colombia:
Arauca, Cauca (excluding Popayán), and Norte de Santander departments in Colombia;
The Colombia-Venezuela border region.
"Violent crime, like murder, assault, and robbery, is common in many areas in Colombia," the advisory says. "In some places, organized crime is rampant. This includes extortion, robbery, and kidnapping."
A Level 4 Do No…
Colombian Crime Ring's 'Burglary Kit' Uncovered After Chase In Lower Paxton: Police
A suspected Colombian organized crime ring operating out of a black Jeep Grand Cherokee was busted after a wild traffic stop and foot chase in Pennsylvania, authorities announced on Monday, April 14.
The Jeep, bearing a fake Montana license plate, was pulled over around 8:30 p.m. on North Mountain Road, Lower Paxton Township Bureau of Police said. Inside were four men and one woman, all believed to be Colombian nationals.
Three of the five occupants were identified as Christian Camilo Tenorio-Valderrama, 42, of Queens, NY, Sebastian Castellanos Valderrama, 33, and Dianna Triana Arrieta, 32,…
Danbury Couple Accused Of $1M Lululemon Theft Spree Across 5 States, Including CT
A Connecticut couple has been accused of orchestrating a multi-state theft operation targeting Lululemon stores, resulting in approximately $1 million in stolen merchandise.
Jadion Anthony Richards, age 44, and Akwele Nickeisha Lawes-Richards, age 45, both from Danbury, were charged in in Minnesota on Friday, Nov. 22, at Ramsey County District Court with organized retail theft, according to the Minnesota Star Tribune.
Their alleged activities spanned over two months and involved thefts in several states, including New York, Connecticut, Minnesota, Colorado, and Utah, the Star Tri…
Alexandria Man Among Four Charged With $800K Maryland 'Flash Mob' Thefts In Six Counties: AG
Four men have been indicted in connection with an organized retail crime ring responsible for 37 thefts across six Maryland counties, causing approximately $800,000 in losses, authorities announced Monday.
The suspects are accused of overwhelming stores with “flash mob” tactics, targeting high-end retail items, and reselling stolen goods.
Attorney General Anthony Brown revealed details about the operation, which spanned Howard, Baltimore, Anne Arundel, Montgomery, Queen Anne’s, and Prince George’s counties.
Those charged include:
Donte Bernard Shaw, 34, of Washington, DC;
Taquan An…
$850K Stolen In 'Theft-Return Scheme' By PA Organized Crime: Attorney General
A criminal organization made $850,000 in illegal profits in a sophisticated theft-return scheme targeting TJ Maxx, HomeGoods, and Marshalls stores, the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office said.
Nine people involved with the Philadelphia-based organization, which has been in operation since 2022, were arrested and charged with numerous felonies, according to a Thursday, Oct. 24 news release from the attorney general.
Davon Whitfield, 40, of Roslyn; Naima Scott, 47, of Abington; and Zonay Griffin, 26, all of Philadelphia, were named as the leaders who personally made about 1,500 transactio…
Hyattsville Trio Charged For Leading International Theft Ring Targeting Major Retailers: Feds
A trio in Maryland who helped organize and run an international organized theft ring are facing charges for their roles in a large-scale operation targeting retailers, federal authorities announced.
Sindy Apola Hernandez, 38, Johnsie Steven Reina Hernandez, 20, and Edwin Gonzalez Rodriguez, 30, all of Hyattsville, have been charged for having underlings rob stores, which in turn, they shipped to Honduras and other countries.
According to the affidavit that resulted in the criminal complaint, conspirators stole cosmetic and other products from various retail establishments and provided …
9-County Retail Theft Ring Busted: PA Attorney General
Five people involved in a major organized retail theft operation have been charged with targeting stores across nine counties, authorities said.
Marlin Polanco, Malik McDonald, Cartier Hardy, Homario Oldacre, and Lorenzo Walters were charged in Dauphin County with corrupt organizations, organized retail theft, and related crimes, Pennsylvania Attorney General Michelle Henry said on Monday, Aug. 26.
The total value of stolen goods is estimated to be worth more than $71,000, Henry said.
Between February 28 and May 30, the group allegedly stole over-the-counter medications and other health an…
