Woman gets prison for Lehigh (Pa) County's largest-ever retail theft case
A woman who stole ink cartridges and electronics from multiple Target stores in Pa., including one in Stroud Township , has been sentenced to 16 years in prison and ordered to pay nearly $30,000 in restitution. Torral Philearia Scott, 40, of Forest Hills, N.Y., was sentenced in December after she was convicted of organized retail theft, a felony. According to the Lehigh County District Attorney's office, Scott and two co-defendants stole $28,307 from Target stores over a period of three and a half months in 2012. Prosecutors said Scott and two other suspects stole from Eastern Pa. Target stores 11 times between June 27 and Oct. 13, 2012. The stores were located in Monroe, Northampton, Lehigh, Berks, Dauphin and York counties. Prosecutors said it was the first use of the state's organized retail theft statue, which is aimed at prosecuting groups who conspire to steal on a large scale. (Source poconorecord.com)

French Police arrest gang accused of stealing $1.36 Million of wine from top chateaux to order  About 300 gendarmes, mobilized across four regions of south-west France and Paris, arrested 20 suspects on Monday after a series of raids. Detectives believe the gang, which they described as "very organized and professional", carried out a series of thefts between June 2013 and last week and were stealing the wines to order. (Source theguardian.com)

Charlotte- Mecklenburg Police investigate a theft ring targeting customers of Whole Foods and Panera Bread  On the search warrant, Charlotte-Mecklenburg police Officer B.C. Kipp says the local investigation has identified several groups of men and women – up to 14 members in all – who have victimized residents in Charlotte, and states including Massachusetts, New Jersey, California, Kentucky and Colorado. Members of a South American ring quickly spend thousands of dollars with the stolen credit cards. The thieves often buy gift cards, which are difficult to trace and have become popular currency in hiding thefts of this type. CMPD has been investigating the thefts since September. (Source charlotteobserver.com)

Two men arrested for stealing more than $21,000 worth of items from multiple cell phone stores in Center City, Philadelphia  Two brothers are in custody and another suspect is on the loose after police say they stole over $20,000 in merchandise during a string of robberies in the city. Police say the suspects struck the Verizon Store back on January 10. Surveillance video shows the three men cutting high-priced cell phones and tablets from their fixed displays before fleeing the store. Police say the trio also robbed the T-Mobile store back on February 4. During that robbery, the suspects, who were armed with box cutters, allegedly shoved a store employee who was 4-months pregnant. (Source abclocal.go.com)

Three Queens, N.Y. residents arrested in Jackson, NJ with $4500 in stolen merchandise  Three residents of Queens, N.Y., were arrested here Friday after police found $4,500 in stolen merchandise in the vehicle they were riding in. Officers stopped a minivan with North Carolina license plates Friday afternoon, after security personnel from the Jackson Premium Outlets reported that its occupants had been involved in a previous shoplifting incident. A search of the vehicle subsequently turned up $3,000 worth of merchandise stolen from the Nike, Loft and Ann Taylor stores in the Jackson Premium Outlets, police said. In addition, $1,500 worth of merchandise stolen from Burlington Coat Factory in Freehold Township. (Source app.com)