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What’s working in the fight against ORC: Successful models from two Florida
agencies NRF’s Organized Retail Crime Study recently shed light on
what’s become a $30 billion problem in retail. With large metropolitan areas and
close proximity to ports for shipping goods, Florida is one of the most active
areas for ORC. But two Florida sheriff’s offices are currently winning battles
against the surprisingly sophisticated theft rings. These law enforcement
leaders have discovered effective formulas for success that combines joining
forces with multiple law enforcement agencies, partnering with retailers and
sharing their successful methods with others in the loss prevention and law
enforcement community. The Broward County Sheriff’s Office formed a specialized
unit to combat ORC in 2011, but their initial efforts weren’t enough. “We
quickly realized we couldn’t do it alone,” said Sgt. Rich Rossman of the Broward
County Sheriff’s Office. “It’s much bigger than Broward County. We look at it as
a whole, not just what’s occurring in our back yard.” Further north in the Polk
County Sheriff’s Office, a rapid response ORC unit has already made 100 arrests
and saved retailers losses of more than $2.3 million in just six months. From
the collaboration of the rapid response unit and their retail partners, a new
tactic emerged: a special training course that is now being offered to law
enforcement officers across Florida, and soon, across the country. View the
entire article in STORES magazine
here. (Source
nrf.com)
 Purported
West York ringleader of massive Retail Theft Ring awaits sentencing: over 130
suspects involved The purported ringleader of a massive and highly
organized retail theft ring surprised prosecutors Tuesday morning when he
decided to plead to the charges against him, moments before his trial was set to
start. James Lee Giuffrida enlisted about 137 people -- mostly drug users -- to
shoplift items from numerous stores in York, Adams, Cumberland, Lancaster and
Lebanon counties, as well as two Maryland counties, authorities said. They
formed groups or "crews" in which one member, dubbed a "booster," would steal an
item from a store, then a second crew member called a "refunder" would return
the item without a receipt and obtain a refund in the form of a gift card. The
crew members would then sell the gift cards to Giuffrida at a fraction of their
value and he would resell them online and make a profit, senior deputy
prosecutor Jonathan Blake said. Crew members also stole items such as
teeth-whitening strips, razor blades, batteries and ink cartridges and sold them
to Giuffrida at far less than their retail value, according to Blake; Giuffrida
could then resell the items. "He would instruct them on what stores they should
go to," Blake said, and would warn them about which stores were cracking down on
shoplifters. "An individual team could make $1,500 a day or up to $10,000 a
week," Blake said. (Source
yorkdispatch.com)
 Criminals
stealing guns from stores, Walmart latest target in Memphis, TN For
the third time this year, guns were stolen from a Walmart. This time, police say
two guys got away after smashing a glass case, stealing an assault rifle and
running out the Walmart on Germantown Parkway. Security cameras capture clear
images of the two thieves who police say came into Walmart with one thing on
their minds: guns. Police say one man distracted a worker in the sporting goods
department, while the other broke the glass on a gun case and took an assault
rifle. Walmart has already stepped up security at the Cordova Walmart after
seven guns were stolen in February. A Walmart was also hit up for two guns in
January. (Source
wreg.com)
 Rochester
woman sentenced to seven months in jail for designer purse thefts The
Rochester woman who pleaded guilty to organized retail fraud involving high-end
purse thefts was sentenced to seven months in jail and two years of probation
Tuesday in Oakland County Circuit Court. Laura Anne Pochmara 37, faced a group
of charges that included receiving and concealing stolen property between $1,000
and $20,000, organized retail fraud, a habitual second offense of retail fraud
and first-degree retail fraud in a case in several Oakland County jurisdictions
that began in Milford. Pochmara’s teenage daughter sat in Circuit Judge Colleen
O’Brien’s courtroom as Pochmara was sentenced 213 days in jail — with credit for
110 days served — and 24 months probation. (Source
macombdaily.com)
Alleged
identity theft ring leader sentenced to 20 years in Texas prison In
Smith County, TX court Tuesday, 34-year-old Brandon Session was sentenced to 20
years in prison for engaging in organized criminal activity. Session is believed
to have led an identity theft ring of nearly two dozen people who stole
thousands of dollars by taking out cash loans in other peoples' names.
(Source
ktre.com)
TWO BIG ORC CASES COMING TOMORROW - Stay Tuned
for details
Search Warrants & Arrests being made over the next 24 hours!
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