7/1/21

LP, AP & IT Security's #1 News Source

1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc. named Eric Pidgeon, LPC, CFI Director, EHS & Security
3SI named Steve Sell VP, Retail Sales
Advance Auto Parts promoted James Mullaney, CFI to Senior Regional Asset Protection Manager
Ashley Furniture Industries named Chris Carmody Dir. of Health, Safety, and Security - Distribution
AutoZone promoted Preston Frazer to Executive VP, Store Operations, Commercial & Loss Prevention
CSC ServiceWorks named David St. Angelo Senior Loss Prevention Specialist
CVS Health promoted Christopher Knight to Senior Director Corporate Security
Gabe's named John Goldyn Vice President Loss Prevention
HD Supply promoted Sean Ross promoted to Sr. Manager, Asset Protection
Jushi Holdings Inc. named Anthony Vanderhorst Security Director
Macy's named Michael Monaghan, LPQ Senior Director Asset Protection-Herald Square/NYC Division
Macy's named Elisha Toye, CFI Legacy Director Asset Protection Herald Square
Nike promoted Jonathan Hsieh to Global Director - Loss Prevention Operations
Rite Aid Promotes Andre Persaud to Chief Retail Officer
Ross Stores Inc. promoted Tim LePelley, CFI to Senior Manager, Area Loss Prevention
Spreetail named Craig M. Gage, SMS Director of Safety & LP
Weiser Security Services Inc. named David 'Bud' Rawson Account Manager

Western Union Employees Complicit in Fraud Schemes Totaling $585M
Romance Schemes, Grandparent Schemes, Lottery or Sweepstakes Schemes

DOJ Begins Third Distribution of Forfeited Funds to Compensate Victims of Fraud Scheme Facilitated by Western Union

Distribution of Funds Brings Compensation Total to More than $365 Million of the Agreed Total of $585 Million.

The Department of Justice announced today that the Western Union Remission Fund began its third distribution of approximately $66 million in funds forfeited to the United States from the Western Union Company (Western Union) to approximately 6,000 victims located in the United States and abroad. These victims, many of whom were elderly victims of consumer fraud, will be recovering the full amount of their losses.

This is the third in a series of distributions. The first two distributions paid more than $300 million to over 142,000 victims, all of whom received full compensation for their losses. The Department of Justice anticipates authorizing compensation for more victims in the coming months. Petitions are accepted on an ongoing basis and potential victims who have not applied for compensation will be provided the opportunity to apply this year.

In 2017, Western Union entered into a deferred prosecution agreement (DPA) with the United States. Pursuant to the DPA, Western Union had a criminal information filed against it acknowledged responsibility for its criminal conduct, which included violations of the Bank Secrecy Act and aiding and abetting wire fraud, and agreed to forfeit $586 million, which has been made available to compensate victims of an international consumer fraud scheme. Western Union simultaneously resolved a parallel civil investigation with the Federal Trade Commission.

According to court documents, in the scheme, fraudsters targeted consumers, including seniors, through multiple scams. Three specific scams directed towards seniors included the so-called grandparent scam, where the fraudster would pose as the victim's relative in purported need of immediate money to avoid personal harm; lottery or sweepstakes scams, where the fraudster would tell the victim that he or she had won a large cash prize but had to pay fees, such as taxes, to claim the prize; and romance scams, where the fraudster would pose as an online love interest and request funds for a visit or for another purpose. In each of these scams, the fraudsters convinced their victims to send money through Western Union.

Certain owners, operators or employees of Western Union locations were complicit in the scheme. Western Union aided and abetted the scheme by failing to suspend or terminate complicit agents and by allowing them to continue to process fraud-induced monetary transactions. Western Union fulfilled its obligations under the DPA, and the court granted the motion to dismiss the criminal information against Western Union last year

The Department of Justice anticipates authorizing compensation for more victims in the coming months. Petitions are accepted on an ongoing basis and potential victims who have not applied for compensation will be provided the opportunity to apply this year. justice.gov

What's Driving the 93% Retail RFID Adoption Rate in North America?

By Tony D'Onofrio, Global Retail Influencer & Prosegur's CEO & Managing Director, Global Retail Business Unit

RFID has been around for years in the retail space - in fact, I've been writing about RFID in retail since as early as 2012 - with more recent articles focusing on the adoption trends at Nike and Walmart. As I discussed in January this year, the pandemic has become an accelerator of RFID adoption in retail with stores taking a central role with online orders fulfillment.

Accurate inventory has been a challenge for retailers for some time. According to a 2020 IHL Group report, inventory distortion worldwide is a $1.8 trillion problem or the equivalent of 10.3% of same store sales in retail and hospitality. "Or to put it another way, more than the annual GDP of Canada."

RFID is one of three very important technologies that play a key role in addressing the problem of inventory distortion. While apparel has led the charge in the adoption of RFID technology for inventory control, other retail sectors are quickly expanding their activities. As summarized by IDTechEx, note the trajectory of UHF/RAIN RFID labels in retail in the last several years.

North America leads the trend of RFID adoption with 93% of retailers reporting that they use RFID in various stages of deployment. Positive to see that other markets around the world are also accelerating their deployment rates. By looking at the rate of full adoption of RFID, rather than just piloting or implementing, North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific have all seen substantial increases in the use of RFID since 2018.

Read more here

Workers Become the Robots
Ahold Delhaize USA expands distribution worker use of robotic exosuits
ADUSA Supply Chain eyes improved ergonomics, safety in lifting product

ADUSA Supply Chain, the distribution and logistics arm of Ahold Delhaize USA, plans to scale up the use of wearable robotics to help grocery distribution center workers with lifting.

ADUSA said Tuesday that it has piloted "exosuits" from Cambridge, Mass.-based Verve Motion over the past year, with the technology assisting in millions of lifts of product. Based on positive feedback from wearers, the pilot will be broadened to include more than 250 suits in affiliated DCs.

Verve's system, called SafeLift, is the first lightweight, powered soft exosuit designed for the industrial worker, according to ADUSA. During a typical workday, the suit lessens the strain on a DC selector's back by 30% to 40%, which translates to a 22-pound item feeling like 14 pounds, a reduction that adds up over a shift, a week or a year, the company said. supermarketnews.com

Hiring Bonuses Becoming Table Stakes
This Summer, Jobs Come With a Hefty Signing Bonus
As U.S. employers' search for hires increases in urgency-especially in the manufacturing, logistics, healthcare and food-service industries-truck drivers, hotel cleaners and warehouse workers are being offered signing bonuses of hundreds and even thousands of dollars.

Nearly 20% of all jobs posted on job search site ZipRecruiter in June offer a signing bonus, up from 2% of jobs advertised on the job search site in March. The states with the highest shares of job listings that include a signing bonus are Iowa, Missouri, Vermont, Wyoming and Arkansas, according to ZipRecruiter labor economist Julia Pollak.

Hiring bonus offers start at $500 and quickly rise from there. Job postings across sectors show that a $1,000 hiring bonus is quickly becoming table stakes in recruiting hourly workers who make between $16.50 and $25 an hour.

"This is without a doubt the biggest change I've ever seen in mentions of a particular work perk," Ms. Pollak said. wsj.com

DSW adds self-checkout due to labor shortage
DSW is piloting self-checkout stands in stores in "response to hiring challenges," said Karen Cho, senior vice president of human resources at Designer Brands (DBI), owner of the shoe chain, in an email. Cho said the self-checkout test started last year to also address health concerns with workers and employees trying to social distance. cnn.com

Worker Shortage Reaching Crisis Levels as 13.6 Million Jobs in US Sitting Unfilled for a Month on Average

U.S. Consumer Confidence at 16-Month High; House Price Inflation Heating Up

Gap to shutter all 81 stores in the UK & Ireland - Looking to Sell Europe


Quarterly Results
Primark Q3 comp's up 3% over same Q3 2019, sales up 207%

Bed Bath & Beyond Q1 comp's up 89% & up 3% over 2019, net sales up 49.5% & own 24% over 2019

Walgreens Q3 U.S. only - comp's up 6.4%, pharmacy comp's up 8.4%, retail comp's up 1.7%, sales up 5.1%
 

Here Comes the DOJ - Putin Warned - Hack-Back Bill
DOJ's future is in disrupting hackers, not just indicting them
The Justice Department is increasingly aiming to disrupt adversaries' hacking activity rather than just call it out in indictments.

The most prominent recent example of such disruption came last month when the department seized more than $2 million in bitcoin from the Colonial Pipeline ransomware hackers - effectively stealing back the ill-gotten gains of the Russian cybercriminals. In another example in April, the department removed backdoor access to thousands of computers that China-linked hackers had created using a devastating Microsoft bug.

"It really arose from the question of what else can we do," Demers a recently departed assistant attorney general for Justice's national security division. "The indictments on the criminal side have led to prosecutions, but on the national security side not so much. What else can we do that doesn't just educate and enforce norms but actually disrupts malicious cyber activity?"

The department plans to launch more such disruptions as the pace of cyberattacks increases.

"I can't provide much detail, but it will go beyond what we've seen now," Demers told me. "And I'd also expect the operational tempo will continue to increase."

President Biden staked out that position during his summit last month with Russian President Vladimir Putin, insisting such rules should apply not just to government hackers but to criminal ransomware gangs that operate on Russian territory with the Kremlin's tacit approval.

One benefit of adding Justice cyber operations to the mix is they can be done in a comparatively public way.
 
The Biden administration should study giving hacked companies the authority to hack back, two senators say.

A new bill from Sens. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) would direct Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to conduct a study of whether private companies should be able to proportionally hack back "in response to an unlawful network breach." washingtonpost.com

'The golden age of criminal VPNs is over,' says head of Europol's cybercrime centre.
This VPN service used by ransomware gangs was just taken down by police
An underground virtual private network (VPN) service used by cyber criminals to hide their activities while conducting ransomware attacks, phishing campaigns and other malicious hacking operations has been taken down in a major international law enforcement operation.

DoubleVPN offered users the ability to mask their locations and identities, allowing cyber criminals to carry out activities anonymously, according to police.

Now its servers and web domains have been seized by a coordinated law enforcement takedown led by the the Dutch National Police (Politie) and involving agencies including Europol's European Cybercrime Centre (EC3), Eurojust, the FBI, and the UK National Crime Agency.

DoubleVPN was heavily advertised across Russian and English-speaking dark web cybercrime forums as means for criminals, including ransomware gangs and phishing operations, to hide their activities, according to Europol. The cheapest VPN connection on offer cost just $25, while more expensive services offered what's described as double, triple and even quadruple VPN connections to criminal clients. zdnet.com

Just an annual reminder - Great summer audit action point for 3rd parties
Make sure that your plan providers meet your Cyber Security needs
With new guidance by the Department of Labor (DOL) on cybersecurity, it's important to determine whether your plan provider meets that guidance.

The DOL provided information on best cybersecurity practices to plan fiduciaries, recordkeepers, and other service providers regarding their responsibilities for managing cybersecurity risks. While you should look at how you meet these requirements, you need to do the same with your providers. jdsupra.com

CISA's CSET Tool Sets Sights on Ransomware Threat
CISA has released a new module in its Cyber Security Evaluation Tool (CSET): the Ransomware Readiness Assessment (RRA). CSET is a desktop software tool that guides network defenders through a step-by-step process to evaluate their cybersecurity practices on their networks. CSET-applicable to both information technology (IT) and industrial control system (ICS) networks-enables users to perform a comprehensive evaluation of their cybersecurity posture using many recognized government and industry standards and recommendations.

The RRA is a self-assessment based on a tiered set of practices to help organizations better assess how well they are equipped to defend and recover from a ransomware incident. CISA has tailored the RRA to varying levels of ransomware threat readiness to make it useful to all organizations regardless of their current cybersecurity maturity.

CISA strongly encourages all organizations to take the CSET Ransomware Readiness Assessment, available at https://github.com/cisagov/cset/releases/tag/v10.3.0.0  cisa.gov

If the Fed Requires it - The Private Sector will Benefit
NIST defines "critical software" with a broad range of security functions
The goal is to enable stronger security practices for government-purchased software mandated by President Biden's cybersecurity executive order.

A significant part of the Biden administration's wide-ranging cybersecurity executive order (EO) mandates that the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) define what constitutes "critical software," a deliverable that is central to the wider effort of securing software supply chains. Last week NIST made good on this assignment when it released a preliminary list of software categories within the scope of this definition.

The EO stipulates that NIST's definition "shall reflect the level of privilege or access required to function, integration and dependencies with other software, direct access to networking and computing resources, performance of a function critical to trust, and potential for harm if compromised." Thus, the goal of the definition is to drive several additional activities required under the EO to shape how the federal government purchases and manages deployed critical software.

The driving principal being: Software acquisition by the federal government would tilt over time toward only those products that have met reasonable security measures. The hope is that the federal government's "power of the purse" would spill over to the private sector because most major software suppliers sell to both public and private sector customers and would find it more efficient to create a single secure product for both sectors. csoonline.com

School's Out for Summer, but Don't Close the Book on Cybersecurity Training

Safety & Security at Cannabis Cultivators
Things to Know Before Touring a Cannabis Cultivator
There are many reasons to visit or tour a cannabis cultivator, but visitors often do not know what to expect since the cannabis industry is still young. Visitors to a cannabis cultivator may include regulatory officials, industry professionals, or vendors and tours are becoming common in states like Colorado. Tours of cannabis cultivators are a great way to become educated on the cultivation process and the industry and are popular among cannabis enthusiasts and tourists alike. Regardless of reason, visitors should be aware of potential security and safety policies at the facility.

Visitor Security

Prior to visiting or touring a cannabis cultivator, visitors must often receive permission from the business and/or regulators. While on the visit or tour, visitors will typically identify themselves on the premises using a photo identification badge. In some cases, this photo identification badge will also serve as an access control key card that will interact with the access control system to keep records of the visitor's presence in the facility. Visitors are not allowed to take photos or videos of areas containing cannabis or security devices but may be allowed to take pictures in the front of the facility depending on the business.

Before visitors can enter the facility's gate or limited access areas, visitors must sign in with the receptionist or check-in desk. Visitors will need their government-issued identification card so that the cannabis cultivator can verify their identity and ensure they are over 21 years of age. It will also typically be necessary to sign into a "visitor's log" which will record time of arrival/departure, affiliated company, and reason for visit among other things.

Visitor Safety

Visitors should dress appropriately when touring a cannabis cultivator and should ensure that they are dressed for outdoor environments (when necessary) and wear the appropriate footwear. Since it may be necessary to put on disposable shoe covers before entering cultivation areas, visitors should opt for close-toed, flat-bottom shoes rather than sandals or heels. Bouffant caps or head covers may also be required, so visitors with long hair should be prepared to tie their hair back if necessary. Lab coats, disposable jumpsuits, protective goggles, or other personal protective equipment (PPE) may also be required depending on the policies of the cannabis cultivator. sapphirerisk.com

America's 'Half-In, Half-Out' Approach to Marijuana
Clarence Thomas says federal laws against marijuana may no longer be necessary

"The federal government's current approach is a half-in, half-out regime that simultaneously tolerates and forbids local use of marijuana."

Clarence Thomas, one of the Supreme Court's most conservative justices, said Monday that because of the hodgepodge of federal policies on marijuana, federal laws against its use or cultivation may no longer make sense.

"A prohibition on interstate use or cultivation of marijuana may no longer be necessary or proper to support the federal government's piecemeal approach," he wrote.

His views came as the court declined to hear the appeal of a Colorado medical marijuana dispensary that was denied federal tax breaks that other businesses are allowed. Thomas said the Supreme Court's ruling in 2005 upholding federal laws making marijuana possession illegal may now be out of date.

"Federal policies of the past 16 years have greatly undermined its reasoning," he said. "The federal government's current approach is a half-in, half-out regime that simultaneously tolerates and forbids local use of marijuana."

Thirty-six states now allow medical marijuana, and 18 also allow recreational use. But federal tax law does not allow marijuana businesses to deduct their business expenses. nbcnews.com

Another State Goes 'Green'
Recreational marijuana legal to possess, grow in New Mexico
It's legal for people in New Mexico to possess recreational marijuana and grow those plants at home as of Tuesday, the same day regulators opened discussions on rules for the launch of pot sales next year.

The milestone was celebrated by cannabis consumers and advocates for criminal justice reform who say poor and minority communities have been prosecuted disproportionately for using marijuana. Now, the scent of marijuana no longer is an adequate cause for searching vehicles and property in New Mexico.

Recreational marijuana is now legal in 16 states and Washington, D.C., with Connecticut and Virginia set to join the list Thursday. washingtonpost.com

Security officer shot at after discovering marijuana warehouse robbery

Cannabis Directors and Officers Liability: Cause for Optimism?

Eliminating California Cannabis Deserts

Amazon's New Safety Crisis Could Be Heat Waves

As a frying planet becomes a fact of life, air conditioning could become the next warehouse battleground.

Amazon workers have faced no shortage of health hazards in the company's warehouses. While we've focused on injuries, inadequate restroom access, covid-19 safeguards, and psychological torment, extreme heat could become the next imminent threat in the face of climate change.

The Seattle Times reported that workers at the company's Kent, Washington facility endured near-90-degree-Fahrenheit (32-degree-Celsius) heat while some stations pushed employees to work at maximum speed in the unprecedented weather for so-called "power hours." One worker told the paper that some of Amazon's floor fans were broken and that the facility hadn't prepared to cool the space for the foreseeable heat wave.

Amazon's Response

"In an unprecedented heat wave like this, we're glad that we installed climate control in our fulfillment centers many years ago," Amazon spokesperson Maria Boschetti said. "We have systems in place that constantly measure the temperature in the building and the safety team monitors temperature on every floor individually. We're also making sure that everyone has easy access to water and can take time off if they choose to, though we're finding that many people prefer to be in our buildings because of the A/C."

The company emailed contractors nationwide instructing them to give drivers extra break time during the heat wave. When asked by Earther, an Amazon spokesperson did not address the specific report from the Kent facility. Instead, they said that the facilities are in fact climate-controlled.

Heat Waves Will Continue

Climate change is increasing the odds of extreme heat. The Pacific Northwest heat wave is only the latest manifestation of heat becoming both more intense and widespread. At this point, scientists' operating assumption is that every heat wave is being impacted by climate change.

That raises huge public health risks; the National Weather Service lists heat as the top weather-related killer. gizmodo.com

Amazon Operations Under Scrutiny
Insiders reveal what it's really like working at Amazon when it comes to hiring, firing, performance reviews, and more
Amazon is the second-largest US employer and still one of the fastest-growing in the country. It offers income and benefits to well over 1 million people, and it's been a source of jobs and shopping convenience during the pandemic.

With that level of influence, Amazon's operations have come under intense scrutiny, which has prompted a nationwide unionization effort. The following covers everything you need to know about what it's like to work at the company.

How Amazon culls its workforce
Insider is investigating Amazon's system for improving, or ousting, employees deemed underperformers. Once managers label workers as struggling, they are put on a "Focus" coaching plan. If they fail there, the workers are moved to another program called "Pivot," and then finally to an internal company jury that decides their fate at the company.

The company has been hit with allegations of bias
There's been a rash of lawsuits filed against Amazon alleging gender and racial bias. In May, five current and former female employees sued the company Amazon, claiming "abusive mistreatment by primarily white male managers."

In February, Charlotte Newman, a Black Amazon manager, filed a suit alleging gender discrimination and sexual harassment. And last year, a high-profile female engineer called on the company to fix what she saw as a "harassment culture," Insider reported.

Amazon's warehouses churn through workers
The company's fulfillment centers employ hundreds of thousands of people, offering pay and benefits that are competitive versus other retail-industry jobs. But the work can be grueling, some staff don't stick around long, and there are growing efforts to unionize this modern blue-collar workforce.

Amazon's delivery network relies on thousands of drivers
Amazon is known for imposing strict time constraints on drivers and tracking how many times they stop and how fast they drive. While the company factors in break times - a 30-minute lunch and two 15-minute breaks - some drivers say they either can't or don't want to take them. businessinsider.com

Murfreesboro, TN: Woman arrested, jailed on suspicion of stealing thousands of dollars of merchandise from JCPenney and other businesses
Two women are seen stuffing bags full of thousands of dollars' worth of stolen items at JCPenney at Stones River Town Centre but dropped the keys to the getaway vehicle and couldn't leave on Saturday, June 26. Police arrested one of the shoplifters. 25-Year-old Dereka Conway of Nashville, is charged with theft/shoplifting. Conway also had several outstanding theft warrants for her arrest. A JCPenney manager saw the women bagging merchandise and leave the store without paying around 6:51 p.m. The two women went to get into a Dodge Charger but quickly realized they didn't have the key. Murfreesboro Police Department officers located Conway and took her into custody. After checking the get-away vehicle, police found the stolen clothing from JCPenney valued at $2,295. There was an additional $9,683.21 worth of shoes, purses, clothing, iMac desktop computer, and tools to remove magnetic security sensors found inside the car. Some of the items were stolen from Hollister Co. at The Avenue. Conway is also facing charges for allegedly stealing from Victoria's Secret at The Avenue. More than $5,800 in merchandise was stolen on May 3, May 6, and May 18. In the May 18 incident, Conway assaulted a manager. Conway dropped her wallet as the manager attempted to take one of the bags from her. wgnsradio.com

Cleveland, OH: Juveniles walk into Spitzer Kia, steal keys & drive off with new car
Spitzer Kia's showroom in Cleveland is always bustling. "We are a very busy store. we sell a lot of vehicles," said General Manager Freddy Mansour. "We spend a lot of money in advertising and purchasing of the vehicle." Friday afternoon, when three juveniles walked into the store, they didn't think much of it. "They came from the side of the building and walked into the dealership," said Mansour. But within minutes they grabbed a set of keys off of a table and left. "Put the keys in their pockets, walked right out the front of the door and hopped in a brand new 2022 Kia Seltos and took off," he said. Mansour thought he'd seen the last of them, but said Tuesday afternoon the same group of juveniles came back. "The same group of individuals that stole our Seltos on Friday came back today, walked in our dealership, same scenario, grabbed a key right off the table in front of the customer," he said. This time, the juveniles only got away with a key. But Mansour said they stole the keys, while the stolen black Kia Seltos was parked across the street. "I actually had a sales person confront them and run across the street after them and they tried to run them over," said Mansour. Just under two miles down Brookpark Road, Gillingham Ford dealership had a similar encounter Monday. Gillingham Ford is no stranger to this type of behavior. In September, thieves stole three cars from the dealership. Since then, Lockhart said they have stepped up their security efforts. news5cleveland.com

Update: Suspect in Viral Walgreens Video Facing 15 Charges Linked to 8 Separate Shoplifting Cases
District attorney Chesa said the man seen in a viral video shoplifting from Walgreens in San Francisco faced 15 accusations and seven other alleged shoplifting cases related to the theft last week. Mr Boudin said on Wednesday. According to Boudin, 40-year-old Jean Lugo Romero has been charged with major theft, two robbery, two robbery, and a major attempted theft. The prosecution said eight shoplifting cases had occurred between May 11 and last Saturday. Romero was scheduled to be prosecuted Wednesday afternoon. In a viral video that began to spread online on June 14, 300 Gough St was identified as Romero while customers and security guards watched over him. You can see the items quietly in the bag at Walgreens. The guards tried to stop the suspect, who slipped through him and cycled out of the door. "Local businesses and nearby stores are the backbone of our community and are committed to protecting our stores and consumers in San Francisco," Boudin said in a statement. "In addition to our prosecution, our office is engaged in many strategic partnerships and is dismantling the criminal network that makes these crimes profitable."
Boudin is working with Florida-based security firm ALTO to help retailers submit police reports and collect evidence, resulting in losses between retailers, police and prosecutors. He said he was coordinating prevention efforts. Police arrested Romero on Saturday after another shoplifting incident at 400 blocks on Height Street. Romero tried to put the goods in a bag and leave, in a manner similar to video theft. In that case, the goods were valued at $ 978, police said. californianewstimes.com

Hollywood, MD: Man Arrested After Phoning Fake Prescription For Codeine Syrup At CVS Pharmacy
On June 29, 2021, members of the St. Mary's County Sheriff's Office Vice Narcotics Division responded to the Hollywood CVS Pharmacy for the report of a fraudulent prescription phoned into the business for promethazine codeine syrup. Detectives observed Theodore Alonzo Boone III, 28 of Washington D.C., enter the pharmacy. Boone purchased the syrup which was phoned into the store under another person's name. During a later traffic stop, Boone was observed holding a black cloth bag. A search revealed Ziploc bags of suspected marijuana and a digital scale. The total weight of the suspected marijuana was more than 63 grams. thebaynet.com

Ocala, FL: Police are looking for two suspects after they stole more than $3,500 worth of fragrances
Ocala police are trying to pick up the scent of a pair of really good smelling thieves. Officers say the two men stole more than $3,500 worth of fragrances. The theft happened the night of June 7th at the Walgreens on Southwest College Road, and then about an hour later at the Walgreens on East Silver Springs Boulevard. wcjb.com

Two Men Charged With Conspiring To Steal Guns From Suburban Chicago Firearms Dealer/Shooting Range
RONEAL NIGHTENGALE and ERIC ROWE conspired to steal the guns from Shoot Point Blank, a firearms dealer and shooting range in Naperville, Ill., on June 1, 2020, according to an indictment returned in U.S. District Court in Chicago. The indictment alleges that Nightengale drove Rowe and an unindicted co-conspirator to Shoot Point Blank around 9:00 p.m., and that Rowe and the co-conspirator burglarized the facility and stole a dozen hand guns. justice.gov

Northfield, IL: Five Cars Stolen From BMW Dealership

Maple Shade, NJ: Police investigating suspect in several hundred dollar Lowe's theft

Kendallville, IN: Man wanted in Kendallville Gas Station triple shooting arrested in Athens, Ohio
Police in southeast Ohio arrested a fugitive wanted for shooting three people earlier this week in a Kendallville gas station. 24-year-old Matthew Rodriguez is behind bars at the Southeast Ohio Regional Jail, after a police officer in Athens, Ohio spotted Rodriguez's sister's 2010 red Kia Forte at a rest stop early Wednesday morning. Kendallville police sent bulletins about the car to departments across the Midwest after naming him a suspect in Monday morning's triple shooting at Gallops Party Store and gas station. Noble County court documents say Justin Smead died inside the convenience store after being shot several times, while Blake Lewis and Alyssa Jeffries were critically wounded. The papers say even though she was badly injured, Alyssa was the one to call 911 for help and describe the suspect to dispatchers. Matthew Rodriguez is charged with one count of murder and two counts of attempted murder. fortwaynesnbc.com
 

Robberies, Incidents & Thefts

Madison, TN: Man wanted for robbing Nashville businesses through drive-thru windows
Metro Police are working to identify a man who robbed two businesses at gunpoint via a drive-thru window. According to Metro Police, the suspect robbed the Walgreens on Gallatin Pike South early Wednesday morning around 2 a.m. The suspect demanded cash at gunpoint, the clerk complied, and he fled the scene on foot. The same suspect is accused in a similar robbery at the Little Caesars Pizza on Gallatin Pike North on July 14. Investigators say he approached the drive-thru window on foot, displayed a gun and demanded cash, received cash and fled on foot. wkrn.com

Las Vegas, NV: Jury Convicts Three Defendants Of Stealing Jewelry And Cash From Vault Business And Money Laundering
Yesterday, a federal jury convicted three defendants who worked for a Las Vegas private vault business of stealing cash, jewelry, and watches from safe deposit boxes and private vaults, as well as laundering those illegal proceeds. "Yesterday's verdict reflects that the defendants used their inside knowledge of the business' security measures to take advantage of victims - including victims who were reluctant to come forward even after they were stolen from," said Acting U.S. Attorney Christopher Chiou for the District of Nevada. "Our office is grateful to the jury for fulfilling its civic duty, and to our law enforcement partners for their hard work and dedication in investigating the inside jobs."

2012 Robbery. According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Phillip D. Hurbace (74, of Calpine, California) was a former contractor for the private vault business and Sylviane Della Whitmore (aka "Sylviane Cordova," 69, of Las Vegas) was an employee of the business. They met and conspired to rob the business using information they knew. On April 14, 2012, conspirators entered the business through an adjoining vacant suite, restrained an employee using handcuffs and duct tape, and used the crawl space above the ceiling to pass over walls.

Once inside, conspirators drilled into safe deposit boxes and private vaults. They stole cash and personal property, including coins, jewelry, and watches. Whitmore subsequently deposited more than $250,000 of stolen money into her bank account, and Hurbace attempted to sell a stolen watch worth several hundred thousand dollars.

In 2014, after the private vault business went into bankruptcy, Whitmore and Larry Anthony McDaniel (61, of Las Vegas) planned another heist. They broke into safe deposit boxes and private vaults, stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash. Afterwards, McDaniel opened new bank accounts using nearly $700,000 in cash, and Whitmore deposited $190,000 into a trust account in her mother's name. justice.gov

Chevy Chase, MD: Washington DC Woman who lives in $2.15 million house steals $2,500 purse from Saks Fifth Avenue
A woman who lives in a $2.15 million home in DC's lavish Palisades neighborhood was caught stealing a $2,500 designer purse at the Saks Fifth Avenue in Chevy Chase, Montgomery County Police allege in a new criminal case. Susan Ebersole, 39, of the 5100 block of Lowell Lane in NW DC, is charged with one count of theft between $1,500 and $25,000. Around 4 p.m. on Friday, January 29, a Saks loss prevention officer spotted Ebersole walking around the department store's purse section. Ebersole was wearing a black coat with fur around the hood. Montgomery County Police filed the criminal case on June 1. It's not immediately clear why authorities waited more than four months to press charges against Ebersole. Ebersole - who was not arrested, but rather given a court summons - is scheduled to appear in Montgomery County District Court in Rockville for an initial hearing on July 6 at 11 a.m. That happens to be her 40th birthday. Ebersole faces up to five years in prison and up to $10,000 in fines. No defense attorney is listed in court documents. wjla.com

Downers Grove, IL: Man pleads guilty to burglarizing Best Buy during
2020 Civil Unrest
Chicago man has pleaded guilty to one charge of burglary for looting a Best Buy in Downers Grove during civil unrest in May 2020. Chicago man has pleaded guilty to one charge of burglary for looting a Best Buy in Downers Grove during civil unrest in May 2020. Joshua W. Bedford, 27, of the 1300 block of East 48th Street, entered his guilty plea on June 15, according to DuPage County court records. Joshua W. Bedford, 27, entered his guilty plea on June 15, according to DuPage County court records. dailyherald.com

Kansas City, MO: Hardee's employees frustrated after repeat robber set free
Employees of Hardee's at 6323 Independence Avenue are frustrated by the release of a repeat offender after the most recent robbery on June 28. The location has been robbed three times in the past seven months by the same person, and this time police caught him. However, not even a day later, he was back on the streets. Northeast resident Amanda Banda has been the general manager of the Hardee's on Independence Avenue for two and a half years. While she's worked for Hardee's for five years, this is the first location where she's experienced such trouble. Banda has caught the man three times on the restaurant's security cameras wearing the same red sweatshirt and shoes. He's made out with over $1,500 between three robberies. The thief has never brandished a weapon or threatened employees, but Banda doesn't want to take that chance because he keeps his right hand inside the pocket of his sweatshirt. A manager once denied the robber, saying, "No, I'm not giving you nothing," and the robber left. However, Banda had to write him up for going against company policy. Kansas City Police Department officers responded within 45 minutes, and as soon as they shared the video, they knew who he was. Officers said he has also robbed the Taco Bell at 5925 and the CVS at 5901 Independence Avenue. northeastnews.net

Westminster, MD: Officers raid home of man accused of trying to rob Walmart
with a knife
This past Tuesday, the Walmart on Woodward Road was the site of an early morning attempted armed robbery. Westminster Police detectives found the suspect entered the store through the garden center. The suspect allegedly took a $100 gift card to check out and demanded that the cashier let him have it for free. After refusing, the employee told police the suspect mentioned having a knife and demanded cash from the register. The cashier notified the suspect he was on camera which sent him fleeing the store empty-handed, leaving the employee untouched. wmar2news.com

Tulsa, OK: Man Sentenced for Holding a Woman at Knifepoint in an Attempted Robbery

Las Vegas, NV: Police seek robbery suspect 'dressed in Gucci'

Lima, OH: 17 year old teen gets 14-year sentence in Pizza shop Armed Robbery

Reading, PA: Turkey Hill employee accused of skimming $3,000 from register

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	Asset Protection Coordinator Rochester, NH - posted June 17 Preventing and deterring theft and limiting the loss of company assets in the stores through best-in-class service, healthy business partnerships, profit analysis, and investigations. Oversee and complete Asset Protection Department responsibilities including but not limited to internal theft investigations, external theft investigations, and physical security...
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	Area Loss Prevention Manager Sacramento, CA - posted April 20 Our Area Loss Prevention Managers ensure safe and secure stores through the objective identification of loss and risk opportunities. Our Area Loss Prevention Managers plan and prioritize to provide an optimal customer experience to their portfolio of stores. They thrive on supporting and building high performance teams that execute with excellence...
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