The Nationwide ORC Battle

Stores Beg for Help Amid ORC Surge
Organized shoplifting ring wreaks havoc in Brooklyn Heights, merchants say

Stores owners are blaming bail reform for a surge in organized theft and saying stores will close if action isn't taken

Local store owners say the main reason is that shoplifting is rampant, and easily resold items like these are targeted by professional thieves. These thieves, also known as "boosters," are employed in an underground economy that is feeding off legitimate businesses.

Between crime on the subway and the brazen shoplifters, some employees are afraid to come to work, Arguello said. "My staff is a hard working class; they should never be exposed to danger at the work site."

He worries that residents of Brooklyn Heights are not aware of what's happening to their local businesses, and that if nothing is done, stores could close. "We employ over 65 people in the store," he said. "That's 65 families. Many of them have worked here for years."

Arguello believes that bail reform has allowed career criminals to commit multiple thefts while their cases wind through the system. "It really upsets me that the people in my store were heroes for two years during COVID and this is how the city of New York is paying us back," he said.

Shoppers can't find their favorite products

An employee at the CVS confirmed that the store has had to lock up everyday items. Shoplifting has skyrocketed," said the employee, who asked to not be named because of corporate policy. "We used to know who the shoplifters were. Now there are lots of new faces." The employee estimated that the store was losing "a couple of thousand per day, if we factor in what we're not aware of."

The employee believes that theft was the "prime reason" a nearby CVS at 168 Montage Street closed. "And they had the same problem at Rite Aid [also closed, at 101 Clinton St.]. They were open 24 hours, and they had theft 24/7."

"Having a security guard doesn't help," he said. Even if the thieves are arrested, "They casually let them out the same day with a slap on the wrist." brooklyneagle.com

10 States Have ORC Task Forces
Seattle Times Op-Ed: Combat organized retail theft in WA with coordinated, sustained effort
Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson is creating a statewide Organized Retail Crime Theft Task Force. It remains to be seen whether it will make progress or become just one more committee that holds meetings, makes recommendations and accomplishes little. At least there's some cause for hope this time.

It was probably only a matter of time before Democratic leaders did something about crime. If Seattle voters' electing a tough-on-crime Republican to be city attorney didn't spook them, the successful recall election of nationally prominent progressive prosecutor in San Francisco likely did.

Store owners are fed up, and shoppers are wary of heading into places where crime seems most concentrated, like downtown Seattle. Criminal groups prey on desperate people, recruiting them to steal from stores. Thieves hand the stolen goods over for drugs or money, and the organized groups sell the goods online.

In February, the King County Prosecutor's Office and the Seattle city attorney announced that they would partner to take on organized retail theft. New City Attorney Ann Davison also announced plans to expedite cases and prosecute more misdemeanor thefts, though she has run into resistance from progressive advocates.

Combating ORC will require a coordinated approach that brings together local, state and federal stakeholders. The task force therefore will include prosecutors, Washington's two U.S. attorneys, retailers, the FBI and local law enforcement. Nine other states have a task force dedicated to organized retail crime.

The public and retailers will expect results. Organized criminal groups have honed their tactics for years. Stopping them will take more than quarterly meetings. Washington can curtail the criminal networks, but it will take a sustained effort from law enforcement and Ferguson's office. seattletimes.com

Los Angeles DA Could Be Recalled Over Crime Surge
Group aims to harness anger over crime to oust LA prosecutor
Los Angeles County's progressive prosecutor could be tossed from office like his counterpart in San Francisco after opponents on Wednesday said they submitted more than enough petition signatures to qualify for an election to recall District Attorney George Gascón, who they say is soft on crime.

If certified, the election would be the latest in a string of recalls in California that have mostly targeted progressives in a state known for its liberal streak. Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom was one of the few survivors, winning by a large margin in September.

Last month, San Francisco voters frustrated with a rash of property crimes, including brazen shoplifting caught on video and attacks against Asian American people, drove District Attorney Chesa Boudin, a former public defender, from office. The vote came after a special election that ousted three San Francisco school board members in February.

Gascón, a former San Francisco police chief who then became DA in that city, won office in Los Angeles in November 2020 as part of a wave of progressive prosecutors elected nationwide.

But Gascón immediately ran into problems running the nation's largest local prosecutor's office when he told deputies they shouldn't seek longer prison sentences for repeat felons and those carrying guns, among many other changes that were seen as soft on crime. wtop.com

   Washington law enforcement agencies working together to combat retail theft


America's Mass Shooting Epidemic

300+ Mass Shootings in America This Year
There have been over 300 mass shootings so far in 2022
There have already been more than 300 mass shootings this year in the United States, according to the Gun Violence Archive.

The shooting at a Forth of July parade in Highland Park, Ill. that left six people dead and dozens injured was one of fourteen mass shootings over the long weekend. There have been just over 100 since a rampage at an elementary school in Uvalde, Tex., left 19 children and two teachers dead on May 24.

Mass shootings, where four or more people - not including the shooter - are injured or killed, have averaged more than one per day so far this year. Not a single week in 2022 has passed without at least four mass shootings.

Mass shootings have been on the rise in recent years. In 2021, almost 700 such incidents occurred, a jump from the 611 in 2020 and 417 in 2019. Before that, incidents had not topped 400 annually since the Gun Violence Archive started tracking in 2014.

This year is on pace with last year's high when comparing the same time period. The toll is immense. Mass shootings have killed 343 people and injured 1,391 more through July 4th. washingtonpost.com

Mass Shootings Are Surging - No Matter What Data You Analyze
What You Need to Know About the Rise in U.S. Mass Shootings

A high-profile mass shooting at a Chicago suburb's July 4 parade was the nation's fourth in recent weeks.

If it feels like mass shootings have become more frequent, that intuition is correct, according to data analysis by The Marshall Project.

Under one of the most conservative definitions of "mass shootings," in which a gunman slaughters four or more strangers in a public place, the number of these crimes has indeed been climbing in the last few years - and they have higher death tolls, as well. The last five years have seen more mass shootings than any other comparable time span dating back to 1966.

As mass shootings in the U.S. reached a record high, so did the number of deaths and injuries. From 2017 to 2021, perpetrators killed 299 people - about a third more than the 221 fatalities in the five-year period that ended in 2016.

The Gun Violence Archive, an independent research group, uses a broad definition of a mass shooting: an incident in which four or more people are killed or injured, not including the shooter. The group counted 2,403 mass shootings from 2017 to 2021, with 2,495 dead and 10,225 injured. The group's data reveals a steep rise in recent years: 692 mass shootings in 2021, up 66% from 2019's total of 417.

The group tallied 318 mass shootings as of 3 p.m. on July 5. That puts 2022 on track to finish as one of the deadliest years since the group began monitoring these crimes in 2014.

The FBI tracks what it calls "active shooters": one or more individuals actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in a populated area. Those cases have almost doubled since 2017, to 61 incidents in 2021 that left 103 people dead and injured 140 others. themarshallproject.org

Amazon Mass Shooting Plot Thwarted
Rodolfo Aceves, 19, arrested for plotting mass shooting at Amazon warehouse
Rodolfo Aceves, 19, was arrested for allegedly threatening to carry out a mass shooting at the Amazon warehouse in San Antonio where he worked.

Aceves was taken into custody on June 27, according to a press release from the police. He faces a charge of terroristic threat causing fear, which is a third-degree felony punishable by up to 10 years in state prison.

Investigators said several of his co-workers told them he was planning on shooting up the delivery station in the 8200 block of Sous Vide Way. Detectives were notified and said they acquired credible information to believe Aceves' comments were a legitimate threat.

"This case highlights the importance of community collaboration and appropriate responses. This is the essence of 'see something, say something.' If not for the witness who came forward, this incident could have resulted in a tragic outcome."

Additional information to support the threat was developed during the investigation by homicide detectives and they got an arrest warrant. After Aceves was arrested, detectives said they seized an AR-15 from where he was found. cbsnews.com

Buffalo Tops Store Completely Transformed
Transforming Buffalo Tops Market after Mass Shooting Attack

Extensive renovations continue at the Jefferson Avenue Tops in Buffalo where ten people were murdered in a mass shooting in May.

"Just about everything in the store is new," Mayor Brown Brown stated. "The store looks completely different inside. It does not look like the same store on the interior."

But Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown says the store has been completely transformed into a new look and does not look like the former store. The mayor says it was the very first time he was inside the store since the mass shooting on May 14th.

The mayor says he realizes some people may never return to this store but believes Tops is doing everything right so far. The store is scheduled to reopen at the end of July. wkbw.com

   Op-Ed: Highland Park shooting just part of America's gun violence problem

   Editorial: Mass shootings are America's parade of horribles

Big Retailers Grapple with Supreme Court Abortion Ruling
Walmart, Target Show Divergence on Companies' Abortion Coverage

Walmart doesn't broadly cover abortions for employees. Target does. Other companies scramble to better understand what they cover.

Employees of Target Corp. have access to health-insurance plans that broadly cover abortion. Walmart Inc.'s health plans don't cover an abortion unless the health of the mother is at risk or the fetus couldn't survive birth.

The rival retailers' policies highlight the range of coverage at the largest U.S. employers, whose health plans have come into sharper focus since last week, when the Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to an abortion and left the question of its legality to the states. Target is among companies adding a benefit that covers travel expenses to get an abortion. Walmart says it is reviewing its abortion coverage.

Target, Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. and Amazon.com Inc. offer employee healthcare plans that cover abortion broadly, according to people familiar with the plans. Large banks and technology companies tend to cover the costs of abortion care for employees and family members under their plans, including Citigroup Inc. and JPMorgan Chase & Co. The companies are among those that have also promised to reimburse employees for travel related to abortion and other healthcare services.

In a memo to staff on Friday, Walmart Chief Executive Doug McMillon said the company was getting input from employees and reviewing its policies following the Supreme Court's decision.

"No matter what your position on this topic is, we want you to feel respected, valued and supported," he wrote in the memo. "We will share details on our actions as soon as possible, recognizing that time is of the essence." wsj.com

NY Bagel Company Owner Sentenced to 3.5 Years in Prison for Scamming Prospective Franchisees Out of Over $2 Million
Joseph Smith, 57, formerly of Fishkill, New York, was sentenced to three years and six months in prison, three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $2,100,450 in restitution for his scheme to defraud prospective franchisees of more than $2.1 million, collectively.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Smith and Dennis Mason, charged separately, made numerous misrepresentations to individuals interested in buying a New York Bagel franchise. These misrepresentations included: a guarantee that New York Bagel could get financing for the prospective franchisee, the actual costs to open a franchise, the number of franchises that were already open or opening, and the profitability of existing franchises. The defendant and Mason charged prospective franchisees fees ranging between $7,500 and $44,500 to gain rights to open stores. When some prospective franchisees learned of the misrepresentations and demanded their money back, Smith refused to refund these fees. As a result of the fraud, Smith and New York Bagel sold more than 160 franchises and obtained more than $2.1 million in franchise fees.

Further, from 2014 through 2016, Smith deposited more than $1.3 million in franchise fees into New York Bagel bank accounts which he controlled. Mason previously pleaded guilty to related charges and was sentenced to three years in prison in April 2022. justice.gov

Harness the Power of Public Data

How do you follow digital footprints?

The average American is connected to the internet in some way for seven hours of their day. Open-source investigation skills (OSINT) are increasingly in demand as the world continues to move more functions and systems into the digital and online spaces. Being able to navigate web portals, conduct advanced searches, and cross-reference information for verification is part of being a top-tier investigator in 2022.

So be sure to register for the WZ Open-Source Investigations Seminar to join that upper level and expand your career opportunities.

Learn More

Juul e-cigarettes may soon be back on market as FDA suspends order banning sales
A ban on Juul e-cigarettes in the US has been temporarily lifted by the FDA's tobacco division. The FDA issued a marketing denial order last month that banned the e-cigarettes from the market.

Labor market remains red hot amid growing recession fears
U.S. employers reported 11.3 million job openings, down from 11.4 million in April but well above pre-pandemic levels

Walmart to invest $57 million in store upgrades in Puerto Rico

Survey: Returns 'worst' part of shopping experience; items worth returning are...

Oil prices fall sharply as recession worries grow

Peloton sweetens employee pay incentives to boost morale & stage turnaround

Safety or Union Busting?
Amazon bars off-duty warehouse workers from its buildings
Amazon is barring off-duty warehouse workers from the company's facilities, a move organizers say can hamper union drives.

Under the policy shared with workers on Amazon's internal app, employees are barred from accessing buildings or other working areas on their scheduled days off, and before or after their shifts.

An Amazon spokesperson said the policy does not prohibit off-duty employees from engaging their co-workers in "non-working areas" outside the company's buildings.

"There's nothing more important than the safety of our employees and the physical security of our buildings," Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel said. "This policy regarding building access applies to building interiors and working areas. It does not limit employee access to non-working areas outside of our facilities."

The notice of the new policy, dated Thursday, says the off-duty rule "will not be enforced discriminatorily" against employees seeking to unionize. But organizers say the policy itself will hinder their efforts to garner support from co-workers during campaigns.

"On our days off, we come to work and we engage our co-workers in the break rooms," said Rev. Ryan Brown, an Amazon warehouse worker in Garner, North Carolina, who's aiming to organize his workplace following the labor win on Staten Island, New York, where workers at an Amazon warehouse voted in April to unionize.

"This was a direct response to that, to try to stop organizing by any means necessary," Brown said.

In the notice sent to employees, Amazon said it strived to create a safe environment for employees. "One part of this is knowing who is in our buildings at any given time, so we can quickly find and account for everyone in the event of an emergency," the notice said. apnews.com

Beating Amazon at its Own Game
Which Regional Retailer Outranked Amazon as Top E-Commerce Grocer?

Index from dunnhumby takes customer needs, emotional bonds into account

In its inaugural "eCommerce Retailer Preference Index," dunnhumby has named H-E-B as the top ranked e-commerce grocer, followed closely by Amazon and Amazon Fresh, respectively. The study examines the $100 billion U.S. e-commerce grocery market and is part of dunnhumby's latest strategic market analysis.

Following H-E-B, Amazon and Amazon Fresh in the ranking are, respectively, Walmart, Sam's Club, Kroger, BJ's Wholesale Club and Sprouts Farmers Market. H-E-B had the highest level of emotional connection and online share of wallet among its customer base, according to dunnhumby, and its customers migrated their spending online the most after the pandemic hit.

While COVID did accelerate e-commerce grocery growth, dunnhumby further found that rising inflation, a subsiding pandemic and more consumer mobility are likely to slow e-commerce growth. progressivegrocer.com

Survey reveals impact of video on e-commerce
Retailers can gain various benefits by integrating video content into e-commerce efforts.

Amazon dangles free Grubhub membership ahead of Prime Day

Two NOLA Fraudsters Had Fake CC Manufacturing Plants in Same Office Park
New Orleans Man Sentenced to Nine Years in Federal Prison for Massive Credit Card Fraud Scheme

Agents seized over 380,000 fraudulent credit cards

MAURICE DURIO, age 42, a New Orleans native to 108 months in federal prison for his role in a massive credit card fraud scheme.

DURIO admitted that he began making fraudulent credit cards in New Orleans before eventually renting office space in an office park in Houston to expand his operation. He outfitted the space with equipment used to make fraudulent credit cards. Over the next several years, DURIO and his co-defendant, EDWARD TOLIVER, who also operated a card manufacturing plant in the same office park, obtained hundreds of thousands of stolen credit card numbers from a variety of sources, including a computer hacker TOLIVER had met in prison and by purchasing them on the dark web.

DURIO and TOLIVER, with the assistance of several co-conspirators, created and/or downloaded credit card templates on laptop computers and transferred the stolen credit card numbers into the templates, which were then used to create tens of thousands of fraudulent access devices. The cards would generally be printed in batches with the same name appearing on numerous cards. The name was typically the real name of a co-conspirator. DURIO and TOLIVER distributed thousands of fraudulent access devices to numerous individuals who then used them to fraudulently obtain things of value, including merchandise and gift cards.

The Secret Service, with the assistance of local law enforcement, investigated numerous instances in which individuals were caught with cards manufactured at the Houston plants operated by DURIO and TOLIVER. Agents were able to tie these card seizures to the plants where DURIO and TOLIVER were making the cards through several means.

In July 2014, a federal search warrant was executed at the Houston office park and agents seized device making equipment, including embossers, scanners, and high-end printers, thousands of cards, and a laptop computer. The computer had approximately 80,000 card numbers in files, as well as spreadsheets used to move the card numbers from the text files they came in when obtained through the dark web to the actual credit cards. Agents also obtained other laptops used by DURIO and TOLIVER that contained approximately 300,000 additional card numbers.

The scheme used various methods to monetize the fraudulent credit card production. First, DURIO and TOLIVER would simply sell cards. The buyer would pay them a set amount and then get to keep whatever the buyer could purchase with the cards. Second, DURIO and TOLIVER would provide cards with the idea that the person getting the cards would buy merchandise and then sell the merchandise at a discount for cash and kick back some of the cash. Third, DURIO and TOLIVER would provide cards and the person getting the cards would buy gifts cards, some of which were kicked back. justice.gov

Road Check Leads to Multi-State Check Cashing Scheme Arrests
Atlanta Man Pleads Guilty in Tri-State Check Cashing Scheme Targeting Publix
An Atlanta resident who pleaded guilty for his role in a check cashing scheme targeting Publix grocery stores in Georgia, Florida and Alabama was remanded to federal custody last Thursday.

Brandon Lamont Bell, 37, pleaded guilty to possession of counterfeit and unauthorized devices on June 23. Bell faces a maximum of ten years in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine. According to court documents, Georgia State Patrol (GSP) and Tifton Police Department officers were conducting a road check at the I-75 Northbound Exit 61 ramp (the intersection of Old Omega Road and Magnolia Drive in Tifton). During the course of the encounter with Bell and other occupants of the vehicle, and the subsequent United States Secret Service investigation, agents discovered a check cashing scheme involving Bell and other co-defendants targeting Publix Supermarkets in Georgia, Florida and Alabama.

Inside the vehicle, officers found 114 fictious checks printed with nineteen genuine bank account routing numbers, a printer and electric cords, nine counterfeit driver's licenses and 18 VISA gift cards. Bell admitted that he possessed with the intent to defraud more than fifteen counterfeit and unauthorized access devices. justice.gov

Buffalo, NY: Federal Grand Jury Indicts Former Schuele Boys Gang Associate For Stealing Painkillers From Rite Aid
U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that a federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging Demario Robbins, 29, of Buffalo, NY, with one count of robbery of a pharmacy, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. justice.gov

Menomonee Falls, WI: Home Depot theft, Menomonee Falls police seek suspects