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Interface Systems Opens New Distribution Center in Dallas, TX
New distribution
center will enhance Interface’s distribution capabilities, create greater cost
efficiency, and cut shipping times for customers.
 Dallas,
TX (September 19, 2023)
— Interface Systems,
a leading managed service provider of business security, actionable insights,
and purpose-built networks for multi-location businesses today announced the
opening of a new
state-of-the-art distribution center in Dallas, TX.
In addition to creating new jobs,
the 31,000-square-foot
facility enhances Interface’s distribution capabilities
to better serve its nationwide customers with expedited services.
“Interface builds complex integrated technology solutions
with 24/7/365 monitoring and
support for major brands across North America,”
explains Bud Homeyer, Chief Operations Officer at Interface. “The company has
experienced substantial growth over the past several years, and the variety of
platforms and technologies we are supporting has increased as well. With an
excellent transportation backbone and several airports in close proximity,
Dallas is an ideal location for setting up our distribution center for domestic
US shipments.”
The Dallas distribution center is
located close to Interface’s
interactive Security Operations Center (iSOC) in Plano.
The iSOC is the nerve center of Interface’s remote video monitoring operations
that secures over 75,000 customer sites. Together, these facilities employ over
200 people in the Dallas area.
Read more here
ADT celebrates its 149th anniversary in Baltimore
ADT commemorated its founding 149 years ago — on Aug. 14, 1874, in
Baltimore — with five celebratory events in its hometown.
 On
Aug. 14, 2023, the Baltimore National Heritage Area Association unveiled a
historical marker in downtown Baltimore on the site where ADT was founded in
1874. Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott also announced Aug. 14 as ADT Day in the
city during the event.
ADT presented Fight Blight Bmore founder and CEO Nneka N’namdi with a $100,000
donation on Aug. 13, 2023.
Fight Blight Bmore
works to combat the negative effects of Baltimore’s 15,000 dilapidated houses.
The nonprofit is working to raise area property values without displacing
residents.
ADT is proud of its Baltimore roots and plans to continue supporting nonprofits
that help the city and its residents build smart, safe and sustainable lives.
Read more here
APEX 2023
APEX
Conference Wrap-Up
3 days of captivating sessions, hands-on
experiences, and relationship-building moments
 The
Asset Protection
Executive Xchange (APEX) is a hallmark retail conference in the industry,
priding itself on being both collaborative and interactive. Designed to weave
industry executives into a cohesive tapestry of ideas, the annual APEX Retail
Conference once again promoted the exchange of knowledge, experience, and served
as a nexus for strengthening the bonds within the retail community.
Retail loss prevention, safety, and risk professionals convened in Music City
for the APEX event’s 4th annual conference at the Downtown Renaissance and
Convention Center, running from September 12 – 15. APEX Retail hosted over 50%
more attendees compared to the prior year, and the Solution Provider sponsors
who attended provided exceptional interactive knowledge and support.
This year, the conference was a major success and centered around the
overarching message that every attendee is a corporate athlete. The emphasis was
on building mental fortitude, teaching endurance, and fostering flexibility,
especially during crises. A mentally, emotionally, and spiritually resilient
leader is poised to deliver superior performances, brimming with passion - the
essential formula for this year’s theme: GAME ON!
Attendees enjoyed 3 days of captivating sessions, hands-on experiences, and
relationship-building moments, underscoring how imperative it is to stay at the
forefront in our ever-changing industry landscape. Key topics included:
•
State of the Industry & Retail
Economy: A deep dive
into current market trends, challenges, and predictions for the future.
•
Life-Safety Planning:
Strategies and protocols for ensuring safety and minimizing risks.
•
De-escalation:
Techniques and training methods to manage and mitigate confrontations.
•
Comprehensive Tech
Solutions: An
exploration of the latest technological innovations aiding the retail sector.
•
Working the Worst
Stores:
A design-thinking workshop aimed at devising strategies for extreme store
scenarios.
The APEX Retail Conference also stood as a beacon for executive leaders striving
to transcend the challenges of today's retail landscape. Addressing the
imperative of anticipating risks, the event curated a set of discussions around
strategizing in the face of adversity and championing leadership roles. The
major takeaways encapsulate these vital strategies, providing a roadmap for
executives to lead with foresight and resilience:
•
Executive Leadership:
John Beede, global adventurer, shared insights on leading among life-changing
obstacles.
•
Organizational Risks:
John Franchi, former CIA and international affairs expert and Michael Sherwin,
former US Attorney, delved deep into recognizing and navigating the myriad of
risks, both global and domestic, inherent to organizations.
•
Legislation:
Raul Aguilar, Deputy Assistant Director, Transnational Organized Crime (HSI) and
Ben Dugan, Executive Director at CVS Health discussed the pivotal role of
retailers within the framework of the INFORM Act.
The APEX Retail Conference, already a tour de force in delivering valuable
insights, took the excitement up a notch with not one, but TWO surprise keynote
speakers. These distinguished leaders energized the atmosphere with their
riveting messages. With their powerful narratives, they galvanized attendees,
echoing the conference's spirit of GAME ON! Their messages served as a clarion
call, inspiring every attendee with a singular, resonating message: the drive
and determination to WIN!
 |
Julius Thomas:
This NFL Pro-bowler expounded on his “5 Keys to Performance” and
introduced the “3 Buckets of Wellness” techniques. These concepts pave
the way for individuals to scale their peak potential. His mantra
encompassed Commitment, Discipline, Guidance, Quality Support,
Resilience, and a trinity of robust mental, physical, and emotional
health. |
 |
Emmitt Smith:
The NFL Hall of Fame legend himself delivered a galvanizing talk,
focusing on the tenets of Winning, Discipline, and Leadership. His words
resonated deeply, inspiring the attendees and leaving an indelible mark
on their spirits. |
The APEX Retail Conference has
once again delivered the premier event for retail asset protection executives.
It's not just about networking or learning, but also about growing together and
redefining the paradigms of the retail world. Until next year, GAME ON!
APEX 2024 Save
the Date: September 22-25!
The U.S. Crime Surge
The Retail Impact
Supermarkets, Department Stores & C-Stores Top
Targets for UK Theft
UK: Convenience is the third highest retail sector for theft, data shows
Money.co.uk shop
insurance experts have extracted crime data for England & Wales to see which
retail sectors have been the worst victims of shop theft.
The table below shows the number of shoplifting crimes (top 10) recorded between
August 2020 and July 2023.
Supermarkets show the highest
number of shoplifting crimes, followed by department and convenience stores.
Data,
analysed by the BBC, shows
shoplifting offences have
returned to pre-pandemic levels as the cost of living rises.
A spokesperson for Waitrose, said that while it could not “speculate on the
reasons”, it was seeing “rising numbers of shoplifting offences –
often by organised gangs as
well as anti-social behaviour”.
It makes sense that convenience stores are also in the top three, with these
including off-licenses and newsagents selling food and drink items.
Co-op,
who recently announced that it is using undercover security guards to patrol
aisles, is the retailer
shoplifted from the most (15.3%).”
talkingretail.com
In Case You Missed It: Read the D&D Daily's Special
Report -
'Lawlessness on UK's High Streets'
'If they can't see it, they can't steal it'
Retailers turn to fog machines to create 'near-zero visibility' to stop theft
 That's
the philosophy behind a new security system that
pumps dense fog into the air,
trapping criminals and preventing them from carrying out after-hours
smash-and-grab jobs
that have put thousands of retailers across the country
out of business.
The system, which ties
into an existing alarm system or can be used as a stand-alone unit, pumps out a
mixture of glycol and distilled water
through a heating unit, creating a dry, dense white fog that generates a
"near-zero visibility environment" that makes it impossible to see through in a
matter of seconds, Mike Egel, president of DensityUSA, the master distributor
for the fog generator in the United States, told the Washington Examiner.
"It's so dry that there
is no residue," he said
from a security summit in Dallas. "There's nothing to clean up. It's perfectly
safe to breathe. It's
perfectly safe for the assets of the business.
It's perfectly safe for humans and pets."
If the fog generator is tied to an alarm,
as soon as the alarm or motion
detector trips, the fog deploys, taking just a few seconds
to fill a 1,000- to 1,500-square-foot space, Egel said.
The company, which is
in talks with major cellphone
providers, already operates in seven states and counts large jewelry chains
nationwide as clients.
DensityUSA is pursuing more than 10,000 installations in the country. Its
popularity is tied to the nationwide retail theft epidemic that cost retailers
in the U.S. close to $100 billion in 2021.
Retailers, ranging from
Nordstrom to local boutiques, have been forced to either raise their prices or
shutter their shops altogether following a rash of crimes.
Others have locked up their items in cases to curtail theft. But in some states
like California, thieves have become so brazen that they have flipped off
security cameras or made eye contact with shop owners as they strolled out of
stores with stolen items. Larger retailers, fearing for the safety of their
staff, have edicts in place that
prevent them from going after
lawbreakers, emboldening even more people from coming in and taking whatever
they want.
washingtonexaminer.com
RELATED: Fog is the latest tool retailers are
deploying to fight theft
San Francisco Citizens Call for 'More Police &
Tougher Judges'
S.F. officials express frustration as they vow to make streets safer for public
 Supervisor
Matt Dorsey, District Attorney Brooke Jenkins and other San Francisco officials
struck a cautiously optimistic tone on Monday evening while fielding residents’
questions on crime, homelessness and open-air drug dealing,
laying out an array of
law enforcement plans to combat the city’s most urgent public safety concerns.
The officials met with a packed auditorium of lively and frustrated — but mostly
receptive — San Franciscans at a public safety town hall at the Strand theater
in the city’s South of Market neighborhood, where
calls for more police and
tougher judges earned repeated rounds of applause.
“We have created a culture, not just in San Francisco but quite frankly around
the country, that
people (believe you can) walk into a store, take what you want and walk out,
while the rest of us stand there waiting to pay,”
Jenkins said.
City Attorney David Chiu
vowed maximum resources to
fight a federal court injunction that limits the city’s ability to clear
homeless encampments;
and San Francisco Police Capt. Luke Martin said he’d look into a resident’s
concerns about police
response times.
sfchronicle.com
Crime Closures Continue to Hit California Cities
Popular Oakland restaurant closing September 30 says crime is to blame
A popular downtown Oakland restaurant
will be shutting down at the
end of the month. Le
Cheval, at the corner of Clay and Tenth Streets, is considered by many as an
Oakland institution. The owner, Son Tran, doesn't blame the pandemic for their
closure. Instead, he said the
crime is
what's killing his business.
"I've been coming here for about 10 years. And my heart hurts.
There's a lot of businesses,
not just this one, but a lot of businesses are closing down.
And it's sad," said customer Robin Andrews. Tran said Le Cheval is shutting down
on Saturday, Sept. 30.
He laid off workers, cut back on restaurant hours, and even closed down on
Sundays to try to avoid permanent closure. But he can no longer push forward.
He said business is at about
25 percent of pre-pandemic levels.
While there've been repeated break-ins at the restaurant, the most recent being
three months ago, he blames auto
burglaries and violent crime
for the shutdown.
Some
customers were even robbed at gunpoint.
cbsnews.com
First Weekend Since January Without a Homicide in
Chicago
The good news came amid a heightened police focus on downtown
22 people shot, but no weekend homicides in Chicago
It was the second
weekend this year without a homicide in Chicago; the other was the last weekend
of January.
Last weekend was
one of Chicago’s least violent this year despite a
heightened police focus on downtown
as thousands paraded in the city to celebrate Mexican Independence Day. Zero
homicides were reported over the weekend, although at least 22 people were
wounded — four of them critically — in shootings between 5 p.m. Friday and 5
a.m. Monday, according to Chicago police.
It was the second
weekend this year without a homicide in the city.
The other was the last weekend of January, according to Sun-Times data. This
weekend was a stark contrast to the Mexican Independence Day weekend a year ago,
when nine people were killed and 54 were wounded.
The lack of homicides
came on a weekend when thousands of people crowded the downtown for celebration.
Like other holiday weekends, police traditionally increase patrols and move
resources from neighborhoods to downtown districts.
chicago.suntimes.com
Minneapolis PD's staffing reaches lowest level in 40 years amid recruitment,
retention struggles
With 585 sworn officers, the department hovers just above that of the St. Paul
police department, an agency that serves roughly 120,000 fewer residents. That
decline means Minneapolis holds
among the lowest ratio of
police officers to population served out of 22 sampled American cities,
according to a Star Tribune analysis.
Only Portland had a
lower officer-to-resident ratio
by the end of 2022 with 1.3 officers per 1,000 residents, compared to 1.4 in
Minneapolis. That's significantly lower than the national average of 2.4.
Every police department in the country is competing for the same ever-shrinking
pool of candidates. Some, like Alameda, Calif. are offering $75,000 signing
bonuses to help fill critical vacancies. In Minnesota, even small suburban
agencies are dangling $2,000 to $10,000 to incentivize lateral transfers and new
recruits.
police1.com
Oakland considers new measure to fight crime as police chief search continues
Tourist hot spot takes emergency action after nightclub grenade attack, crime
wave
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Two Internal Threat DOJ Cases
1. Internal Threat & #1 Authorized Reseller
Orchestrates $88M IP Theft & "Cornered the Market"
Originally reported in the Daily Aug. 18th, 2023 - Business Owner & Ring Leader
Jason Hines Pleads Guilty
Update Sept. 19, 2023:
Computer System Administrator & Spouse Plead Guilty in Massive Scheme to Sell
$88M in Pirated Business Telephone System Software Licenses
A
computer system administrator
and his spouse pleaded guilty
today to participating in a massive international scheme to make millions of
dollars by selling
pirated business telephone system software licenses.
The entire scheme
allegedly resulted in the sale of software licenses with a
retail value of over $88 million.
According to court documents,
Raymond Bradley Pearce, aka
Brad Pearce, 48, and Dusti O. Pearce, 45,
both of Tuttle, Oklahoma,
conspired with Jason M. Hines,
aka Joe Brown, Chad Johnson, and Justin Albaum, 43, of Caldwell, New Jersey,
to commit wire fraud in a scheme that involved generating and then
selling unauthorized Avaya
Direct International (ADI) software licenses.
The ADI software licenses were then used to unlock features of a popular
telephone system used by
thousands of companies around
the globe. The ADI
software licensing system has since been decommissioned.
Avaya Holdings
Corporation, a
multinational business communications company headquartered in California, sold
a product called IP Office, a telephone system used by many midsize and small
businesses in the United States and abroad.
Brad Pearce, a long-time customer service employee at Avaya,
used his system administrator
privileges to generate tens of thousands of ADI software license keys that he
sold to Hines and other customers, who in turn sold them to resellers and end
users around the globe.
The retail value of each Avaya software license ranged from under $100 to
thousands of dollars. Dusti Pearce handled accounting for the illegal business.
Hines was by far the Pearces’
largest customer –
buying over 55% of the stolen licenses – and significantly influenced how the
scheme operated. Hines operated Direct Business Services International (DBSI), a
de-authorized Avaya reseller, in New Jersey.
Brad Pearce and Dusti Pearce pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
They both face a
maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
Brad Pearce and Dusti Pearce must forfeit a money judgment of at least $4
million as well as cash, gold, silver, collectible coins, cryptocurrency, and a
vehicle. They must also make full restitution to their victims.
justice.gov
2. Men's Warehouse VP of Facilities Gets 22
Months For $1.7M Fake Invoice Scheme
DOJ: Danville Woman Sentenced To 22 Months In Federal Prison For Embezzling $1.7
Million From Public Company
Former Vice
President of Construction, Maintenance, and Facilities at Tailored Brands
invented fake vendor and submitted false invoices over eight-year period
 OAKLAND
– Gina Suzanne Lonestar
was sentenced to 22 months in federal prison
in connection with a wire fraud scheme pursuant to which
she embezzled over $1.7
million from her former employer.
Lonestar, 52, of
Danville, Calif., pleaded guilty to the charge on May 19, 2023.
According to her plea agreement, Lonestar admitted that, in December 2010, she
devised a scheme to
create a fake vendor to defraud Men’s Wearhouse and later Tailored Brands (Men’s
Wearhouse’s parent company) of money by submitting and approving false invoices
for the fake vendor to the accounts payable department.
Lonestar created a document stating the vendor was a sole proprietorship
associated with a family member and then began submitting and
approving invoices falsely claiming the vendor was performing work at Men’s
Wearhouse stores throughout California, such as inspections and handyman work.
Lonestar admitted that she submitted and approved false invoices in the name of
the fake vendor for
approximately eight years, defrauding her employer of over $1.7 million,
which was paid to her joint checking account. Lonestar admitted that the vendor
did not exist and the family member with whom she co-owed the company performed
none of the work for which she provided invoices.
In addition to the 22-month sentence, Judge Tigar ordered Lonestar
to pay a $1,736,216 forfeiture
money judgment and to serve three years of supervised release
which will begin after she leaves prison. Judge Tigar ordered that Lonestar
begin serving her sentence on January 5, 2024. In addition, Judge Tigar
scheduled a hearing for December 1, 2023, to determine issues regarding
restitution.
justice.gov
Risk Managers & Business Continuity
& Emergency Operations Centers Take Notice
California tops FEMA’s new list of areas vulnerable to weather disasters
‘Resilience zones’ will receive funding to prepare for flooding, fires, heat
waves
Despite the name, “Community
Disaster Resilience Zones”
are not local havens capable of withstanding storms and other extreme weather.
But the Federal Emergency Management Agency, better known as FEMA, is spending
billions in hopes that they can be.
The agency has identified nearly
500 such “zones,” swaths of land
generally covering several miles that are ill-prepared to tolerate flooding,
earthquakes, heat waves, wildfires, landslides and other natural hazards.
California topped all
states in FEMA’s new plan, with 51 total zones
— including seven census tracts in the Bay Area —
followed by 35 in Texas and 32
in Florida.
mercurynews.com
Insurance premiums could surge in these U.S. cities because of climate
disasters, new data shows
Nearly 7 million properties, almost 1 in 20 buildings, have already experienced
price surges or have been dropped by insurance companies, First Street found.
The majority of those properties are located either in wildfire and flood-prone
California, or hurricane-prone Florida, Louisiana and Texas.
Every property in more than 1 in 10 American cities is at risk of premium spikes
because of climate disasters, according to an analysis of the First Street data.
These include places in states where insurers have already started to pull out,
including Miami, Jacksonville and New Orleans.
Properties in 4 out of 5 cities in the Lower 48 are vulnerable to rate hikes,
including more than 25% of properties in New York City and Phoenix.
mercurynews.com
From 'Just Walk Out' to 'Just Wear Out'
Amazon Brings ‘Just Walk Out’ Tech to Apparel Retailers
The retail giant on Tuesday (Sept. 19)
announced an
expansion of its Just Walk Out technology
— its checkout-free shopping tool — upgrading an offering first designed for
items like food and beverages and
applying it to apparel sellers.
Shoppers want to see clothing on hangers, feel the fabric and try them on, and
may also possibly put them back on other shelves.
But with the addition of radio-frequency identification (RFID), customers can
now “grab clothes, hats, shoes, and more — and
simply walk out of the store
through an exit gate (even while wearing their purchases)
by tapping their credit or debit card, or hovering their palm over an Amazon One
palm recognition device,” Jenkins said.
Amazon says it piloted the system at Climate Pledge Arena, home to the Seattle
Kraken hockey team, earlier this year. Seeing success, the
company is expanding the program to Lumen Field,
where Seattle’s Seahawks play, for the 2023-2024 football season.
pymnts.com
138K Combined Holiday Hires
Target, Macy’s announce seasonal hiring plans
Target plans to hire
nearly 100,000 workers for the holidays, about the same as past years, while
Macy’s is aiming to bring on about 38,000.
Target on Tuesday
announced plans to
hire nearly 100,000 seasonal employees,
which is the same number the retailer has
aimed for in the past few years. The big-box retailer already employs more
than 400,000 people, according to an announcement on its holiday hiring plans.
Macy’s on Monday
released its own hiring plans,
aiming to fill more than 38,000
full- and part-time positions this season. That’s down from the 41,000 last
year, though the department store said its hiring plans are “consistent with
open positions in 2022.”
Applications at Target will be available online starting Wednesday. Macy’s will
accept applications online as well as at two nationwide in-person hiring events
this fall.
retaildive.com
Chicago mayor OKs compromise giving restaurants 5 years to phase in higher pay
for tipped workers
Choice Market applies frictionless data to store planning
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DOJ: Husband And Wife Charged With Multimillion-Dollar Gift Card Fraud Scheme
Xuliang Hou, Yuna Lin, and Their Co-Conspirators Allegedly Tricked Victims into
Purchasing Gift Cards That They Used to Purchase Millions of Dollars’ Worth of
Merchandise
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the
Southern District of New York,
and Ivan J. Arvelo, the
Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Office of Homeland Security
Investigations (“HSI”), announced the unsealing of an Indictment charging
XULIANG HOU and YUNA LIN
with conspiring to commit wire fraud.
HOU and LIN were arrested
yesterday and will be presented today before U.S. Magistrate Judge
Jennifer E. Willis.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “For nearly two years,
Xuliang Hou, 32, and Yuna Lin,
30, and their co‑conspirators allegedly engaged in a brazen scheme to
obtain gift card information from their victims through lies. As alleged, they
used those gift cards to
purchase millions of dollars’ worth of products, including electronic devices.
Thanks to the skillful investigative work of HSI and the dedication of the
prosecutors of this Office, the defendants’ alleged scheme will be put to an
end.”
From July 2020 through at least May 2022, XULIANG HOU and YUNA LIN carried out a
scheme in which victims were induced, under false pretenses,
to purchase gift cards
redeemable at certain stores. The scheme’s perpetrators used those cards
to purchase millions of dollars’ worth of various products, including electronic
devices.
HOU, 32, and LIN, 30, both of
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, are each charged with one count of conspiracy
to commit wire fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
justice.gov
Los Angeles, CA: 9 arrested in organized retail theft operation
 Nine
people accused of being part of an “organized retail theft crew” were arrested
last week in Leimert Park after detectives with the Los Angeles Police
Department partnered with a local business to conduct a loss prevention
operation, authorities announced Tuesday. The operation unfolded on Sept. 14 in
the 3700 block of Crenshaw Boulevard, according to an LAPD news release.
Burglary detectives recovered a large assortment of stolen over-the-counter
pharmaceutical products from two local businesses hidden inside of a U-Haul
truck the suspects were using, 37 grams of methamphetamine and U.S. currency
police believe was obtained from the illegal sale of the stolen pharmaceuticals.
Of the nine arrests made, two were for felony organized crime theft crew, one
for an outstanding felony arrest warrant, four were repeat shoplifting offenders
and two other suspects who were cited for shoplifting and released from custody,
the release stated.
yahoo.com
DOJ: Tampa Man Sentenced To More Than 13 Years For Conspiracy To Commit Robbery
And Armed Robberies Of Auto Parts Stores In Tampa
Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle has sentenced Steve
Jackson (41, Tampa) to
13 years and 6 months in federal prison for conspiracy to commit robbery,
robbery, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of
violence. Jackson had pleaded guilty on June 23, 2023.
His codefendant, Antonio
Brown, previously pleaded guilty and is pending sentencing.
According to court documents, on August 29, 2021, Jackson and Brown
robbed two auto parts stores
in Tampa carrying firearms and wearing surgical masks as they entered the
stores. They brandished their firearms, demanded money from store employees, and
stole approximately $1,400 from the cash registers.
justice.gov
Berkeley, CA: Thieves use car to smash into Berkeley lululemon store
A popular activewear store was burglarized in Berkeley after thieves backed a
vehicle into the store Tuesday morning. The crime happened at a lululemon store
situated at 1901 4th and Hearst streets. A store security guard, who requested
to remain anonymous, said that he was inside the lululemon store when a loud
noise startled him. "This big boom, and then this door came down and all these
people started hopping out," he said. The suspects deliberately reversed their
vehicle into the store, shattering the glass entrance.
The guard reported that six
people, all wearing black hoodies and masks, exited the vehicle and proceeded to
ransack the store. The suspects stuffed the stolen merchandise into both
the backseat and trunk of their vehicle, according to the guard.
ktvu.com
San Antonio, TX: Bay Area Bicycles loses bikes worth thousands to break-in
A longtime Coastal Bend bike store suffered an expensive early morning robbery.
Around 5 a.m. on Tuesday, three thieves broke into Bay Area Bicycles by throwing
a brick through the window, making off with three bikes. The robbery and getaway
was caught on the store's security camera.
Bay Area Bicycles owner David
Pena said that all together, the bikes cost approximately $25,000. "They
(the thieves) came in the store and immediately grabbed the most expensive bikes
in the store, so it's kind of an off coincidence that they did that
unknowingly," Pena said. "One of these bikes was a custom bike so it would be
nice to get that back, those are harder to come by."
kristv.com
Man accused of stealing over $8,000 from Centralia Nike store, up to $50,000
total at other location
Bail has been set at $50,000 for a Tacoma man accused of stealing over $8,000 in
merchandise from the Nike outlet store in Centralia between July 9 and Sept. 17.
The suspect, identified as Roy Lynn Brown, 42, was arrested and booked into the
Lewis County Jail at about 4:45 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 17, after officers with
the Centralia Police Department stopped Brown’s vehicle as it was fleeing the
outlet store’s parking lot in the 100 block of West High Street. Brown was
arrested alongside an “accomplice,” who was not facing charges related to the
thefts in Lewis County Superior Court as of Monday, Sept. 18. Brown is accused
of shoplifting merchandise from the Nike outlet in Centralia eight times since
July 2023: on July 9, July 10, July 11, July 13, Aug. 1, Aug. 2, Sept. 6 and
Sept. 17, according to court documents. On each occasion, Brown allegedly stole
between $805 and $2,779 worth of merchandise by selecting boxes of footwear and
apparel, placing them into shopping bags and trash bags then exiting the store
without paying.
chronline.com
Leesburg, FL: Serial shoplifter already on probation sips stolen Coke and steals
charger at Walmart
After speaking with Woolever, the officer was informed that she had four prior
theft convictions dating back to Oct. 2011. She was also currently on active
felony probation out of Lake County for the offense of petit theft (3rd
conviction), which began on Aug. 23 and would be terminated on that date in
2027, the report said. Woolever was subsequently arrested on charge of retail
theft (two or more prior). She was transported to the Lake County Jail with bond
set at $5,000.
leesburg-news.com
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Shootings & Deaths
Kansas City, KS: Police investigating homicide outside auto parts store
 Kansas
City, Kansas police are investigating a homicide that occurred on Tuesday night.
KCK police responded to a disturbance call at 47th and Parallel Parkway at
around 6:30 p.m. When officers arrived, everyone was outside the auto parts
store in the area. A police officer performed CPR on an adult male who was on
the ground in front of the store. However, he was declared deceased by emergency
crews on the scene. A second individual sustained minor injuries from the
disturbance. It's unknown what precipitated the fight, but it's possible those
involved were inside the store at some point, according to police. No one is
under arrest at this point of time.
kmbc.com
Louisville, KY: Two men facing weapons charges after shooting at Fern Valley
Road Waffle House
 Two
Louisville gang members have been charged after a shooting at a Waffle House
earlier this month. On Sept. 4, police said about 2:30 a.m. a woman was shot in
the foot after a drive-by shooting at the Waffle House on Fern Valley Road.
Police said in a news release video recordings from the restaurant's
surveillance cameras identified the two men who fired the weapons. 20-year-old
Virgil Jackson and 19-year-old Dacorey Hodges were charged on Monday with
federal firearms offenses. Jackson, police said, is a convicted felon, which
prohibits him from having a firearm. Police said
Hodges is a fugitive and
prohibited from having a firearm due to an active felony arrest warrant out of
Orange County, California.
wdrb.com
Feds charge suspect in two Oakland shootings; both shootings and arrest occurred
in front of the same liquor store
Released
from 15-year sentence in 2020 for carbon copy of decade old arrest.
Robberies,
Incidents & Thefts
Atlanta's Food Stamp Fencing Operators Going to
Federal Prison
DOJ: Atlanta meat market owner pleads guilty to $10 million food stamp fraud
ATLANTA – Uttam Halder has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud
arising from a $10 million
scheme to purchase Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits from
low-income recipients. After his arrest,
Halder became a fugitive and
attempted to flee to Istanbul, where he was apprehended by foreign authorities.
His sentencing is scheduled for January 30, 2024,
Uttam Halder owned and operated a small meat market in Atlanta called
Big Daddy’s Discount Meat
(“Big Daddy’s”). Halder enrolled Big Daddy’s as a retailer for the USDA’s
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (“SNAP”) in 2014. SNAP.
Between 2015 and 2020, Halder loaned his EBT terminals to two stores,
Food World and Big Brother
Mini Supermarket, contrary to SNAP rules. Co-conspirator Paltu Roy, the
operator of Big Brother Mini Supermarket, and another co-conspirator who
operated Food World agreed to share profits with Halder from
Big Daddy’s terminals used
illegally at those stores. After receiving Big Daddy’s EBT terminals,
both stores made cash payments to customers in return for redeeming their
SNAP benefits at the rate of
roughly 50 cents on the dollar. During this six-year period, Big Daddy’s
terminals collected more than $10 million in fraudulent redemptions of SNAP
benefits, and Halder shared a substantial portion of the profits.
Paltu Roy, 51, of Stone Mountain, Georgia, pleaded guilty and sentenced to
three years and one month in
prison, three years of supervised release, and a special assessment of
$100 and ordered him to pay
$3,071,235 in restitution to the USDA.
justice.gov
Chicago Heights, IL: FBI investigating armored truck robbery outside Food 4 Less
The FBI is investigating an armored truck robbery outside a south suburban
grocery store Tuesday afternoon. The robbery happened outside a Food 4 Less
grocery store in Chicago Heights. Chopper 7 was over the scene in the 1300 block
of Western Avenue. The FBI said three men with guns robbed an armored truck in
the parking lot. In video released by federal law enforcement, you can see one
of the suspects about to jump back in the getaway car when the armored truck
comes from behind and actually strikes him.
abc7chicago.com
Victorville, CA: Deafening smash-and-grab robbery takes place at a Kay Jewelers
 At
least two robbers were spotted using hammers to smash open the cases at a Kay
Jewelers in a Victorville Mall. Cell phone videos captured the deafening moments
of the smash-and-grab robbery. The San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department
responded to a call from the Victor Valley Mall on Monday, September 18, a
little after 12:30 p.m. In the video, the suspects spent some time trying to
smash open the cases and then started putting all the jewelry in a white trash
bin they brought. Deputies say the suspects ran off before they could make it to
the mall. As of Tuesday night, no arrests have been announced in the Key
Jewelers incident.
foxla.com
Fort Myers, FL: Thieves crash car into Family Dollar, make off with safes
 The
Fort Myers Police Department is investigating a brazen robbery after thieves
intentionally crashed into a Family Dollar and took off with two safes.
According to FMPD, the vehicle intentionally struck the front of the structure
and took off at around 5:26 a.m., Monday. FMPD is currently searching for a dark
blue Chevrolet pickup truck with rear damage, consistent with the damages done
to the storefront.
winknews.com
Collierville, TN: Target shoplifter, accomplice caught after leading police on
chase across state border
A woman who stole items from a Target and her accomplice have been caught after
leading police on a chase across the state border and back, according to the
Collierville Police Department. Police say the chase began after a woman
shoplifted from the store on New Byhalia Road at 2:21 p.m. Upon leaving, a
witness attempted to stop the thief when a second suspect threatened the witness
with an unseen gun, according to CPD. According to police, the truck’s driver
then rammed a CPD vehicle, initiating a pursuit. Police say the chase went into
Mississippi and came back into Collierville, where the driver finally stopped at
Highway 72 and Harris Street. Both suspects were taken into custody and the
items from Target were recovered. No injuries were reported.
actionnews5.com
Philadelphia, PA: Man Robs Same Boost Mobile Store 3 Days in a Row, at the Same
Time
Philadelphia Police officials are searching for a man who allegedly robbed the
same cellphone store in the city's West Oak Lane community three times, three
days in a row. Law enforcement officials shared surveillance footage of at least
one of the robberies to occurred in the last week. In the Thursday, Sept. 14
incident, a man can be seen walking into a Boost Mobile cell phone store
casually before approaching an employee and demanding money. Armed with a knife,
the man is described as a bald Black man with a beard. In all three robberies,
the male entered the store demanded money from the register, and threatened that
he had a knife, police said.
themessenger.com
Bronx, NY: Update: Masked thief sentenced for $800K NYC jewelry store heist
using bear spray and hammers
An armed robber who used a hammer and bear spray as part of an $800,000 heist at
a Bronx jewelry store was sentenced for his role in the theft, according to
prosecutors. Pablo Valenzuela
was sentenced Friday to 70 months in prison for the Aug. 2022 robbery at the
jewelry store on East Fordham Road near Elm Street, the U.S. Attorney's
Office announced Friday. The armed robbery was carried out by Valenzuela and at
least five others, according to the criminal complaint.
nbcnewyork.com
DOJ: ATM Machine Heists Land Four Individuals In Federal Prison
Each of the individuals previously pleaded guilty to bank burglary for their
role in the thefts, which targeted five banks in Central Florida and
resulted in $593,650 being
stolen and over $100,000 in damages to the five ATM machines. Suspects received
3 yrs. 6 months, 18 months consecutive to 46 months, 4 yrs. 3 months, and 2 yrs.
6 months.
justice.gov
Memphis, TN: MPD searches for women who beat pregnant Jersey Mike’s employee
after being denied free food while in ‘pool attire’
Daly City man sentenced to 12 years in prison after assaulting, robbing deaf and
mute Lyft driver
Counterfeit
Louisville, KY: Fake jewelry worth more than $12 million seized at Louisville's
UPS Worldport on Monday
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers in Louisville seized more
counterfeit designer jewelry on Monday night. CBP officers, according to a news
release, seized 1,747 counterfeit jewelry items, that if real, would be worth
more than $12 million.
The shipment of counterfeit jewelry came from Hong Kong, on its way to a
residence in Ontario, Canada, according to CBP officials. The shipment,
which was poorly made and packaged, had fake goods from designer names like Van
Cleef and Arpels, Louis Vuitton, Valentino and Gucci. “CBP is responsible for
enforcing all U.S. trade laws and regulations on behalf of 49 other federal
agencies. CBP officers play a critical role in the Nation’s efforts to keep
unsafe counterfeit and pirated goods from harming the American public,” said
LaFonda D. Sutton-Burke, Director, Field Operations, Chicago Field Office, in a
news release. “This is yet another dramatic example of how CBP officers work
every day to protect the American consumer, the US economy and US jobs.”
wdrb.com
Chicago, IL: Over $1M in counterfeit merchandise seized by CBP at O’Hare’s mail
branch
 Dozens
of counterfeit designer products with a suggested retail price of over $1
million were seized by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) at O’Hare’s
International Mail Branch in Chicago. According to CBP, officers seized the
shipment, which contained 67 pieces of counterfeit designer watches, bracelets,
handbags and scarves as it was headed to a residence in Oklahoma on Monday
night. CBP says the shipments contained 53 watches with Rolex, Gucci, Hermes,
and Louis Vuitton logos, nine bracelets with Rolex logos, three Louis Vuitton
handbags and two Gucci scarves, all of which were deemed to be counterfeit by
trade experts with CBP Centers of Excellence and Expertise.
wgntv.com
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