Man Faces Federal Charges after Stealing $220,000 from J.C. Penney Stores in 37 States  A Washington man has been charged with 11 counts of wire fraud after conducting nearly 1,800 fraudulent transactions and causing a loss of more than $220,000 at J.C. Penney store in 37 states, announced U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson. Between April 25, 2011, and Aug. 27, 2014, the indictment alleges Casper engaged in a refund scheme by duplicating receipts, creating false price tags and returning items for profit. Specifically, Casper allegedly created hundreds of counterfeit receipts by duplicating them from six original receipts. The receipts were for womens' pantsuits and showed purchase prices between $160.00 and $190.52. The indictment alleges Casper obtained alternate items at clearance prices at J.C. Penney stores or elsewhere, or by other means, and placed fake J.C. Penney price tags on these items. Casper would then return the fraudulently marked clothing items with a duplicated receipt to a J.C. Penney store, according to the allegations. He allegedly pocketed the difference between what he actually paid and the amount he represented he paid to J.C Penney through the use of the fraudulently-duplicated receipt. The indictment alleges Casper conducted approximately 1,792 transactions using this scheme across J.C. Penney stores in 37 different states, including Texas. The total loss attributed to his fraudulent activity is approximately $220,320, excluding fraudulently reimbursed taxes, according to the charges. If convicted, Casper faces up to 20 years in prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine. justice.gov

Checking Exiting Customer Receipts on Thanksgiving Day Nails $7,800 Credit Card Fraudster at Target in Jersey City  On Thanksgiving, Jersey City police officers were assigned to Target on 14th Street in Jersey City to assist store security guards with checking customer receipts as they exited the store, according to a police report. When Patrick Perroud, 25, of Kenilworth Place in Brooklyn, tried to hurry past a security guard without showing him his receipts, an officer stopped him, police said. A scuffle ensued between Perroud and police after he was asked to come to the register where the purchases were made, authorities said. Perroud threw several punches at an officer, hitting him once in the chest, according to the report, which added that officers eventually caught him running through the parking lot. With another suspect police stopped his partner and found 10 "fictitious" credit cards. Scott used fraudulently obtained Target gift cards to obtain merchandise in the amount of $7,800. nj.com


Breast pump thief hitting Burlington Coat Factory stores in New Jersey  Brick Township police are seeking the public's help in identifying a person in connection with the shoplifting of $1,000 worth of breast milk pumps from Burlington Coat Factory in that town -- and believe he may have done the same thing at the store in Freehold.  patch.com




Philadelphia jeweler who fenced diamonds for coast-to-coast theft ring, faces sentencing in Portland  Government prosecutors want to put Philadelphia jeweler Eric Janovsky behind bars for fencing millions of dollars in diamonds stolen by a coast-to-coast ring of diamond thieves who met their undoing in Portland. They also want the company that employed Janovsky, Three Gold Brothers Inc., to pay a fine of up to $500,000. The store sat on Jeweler's Row in downtown Philly. The company and Janovsky are scheduled for sentencing on Wednesday before U.S. District Judge Marco A. Hernandez, in Portland. Janovsky pleaded guilty last July to possession and sale of stolen property that traveled in interstate commerce. He served as the buyer of last resort for a colorful gang of thieves who hit high-end private jewelers from Florida to Oregon. "Janovsky and Three Gold Bros. paid the co-defendants in cash, typically tens of thousands of dollars for each stolen diamond, and did not maintain or provide any paperwork for these transactions," the memo reads. "Witnesses report that Janovsky told co-defendants to bring whatever diamonds they could obtain and to use words like 'not for eBay' to inform Three Gold Bros. the items were stolen." Prosecutors are asking Hernandez to sentence Janovsky to a 15-month split sentence - half in prison, half in home confinement - and have recommended that the Three Gold Brothers be placed on probation for three years. Lawyers for Janovsky are expected to argue for a lesser sentence. oregonlive.com

Comic and Collectable Store suffers reported $300,000 loss in burglary in Wichita, KS  Wichita, Kansas' KWCH TV is showcasing the Nov. 19 burglary of comics and collectibles store Riverhouse Traders as its Crime Stoppers crime of the week. The thieves apparently knew what they were looking for, and stole a reported $300,000 worth of rare comic books and memorabilia, leaving owner Mark Rowland with an unwanted shift in priorities: He has always given free comics to local children who get As on their report cards, and he provides gifts to local families at Christmas, but this year he has to cut back to pay for a security system. comicbookresources.com

Close to $5,000 in panties stolen from Victoria's Secret in Murfreesboro, TN
Another Victoria's Secret theft has occurred in Murfreesboro at The Avenue. This time, the stolen items included the merchandise that was being displayed in front of the store. A police report shows that "320" pairs of panties were taken in the heist. The undergarments added up to $4,920. The theft was reported by the store manager on Monday afternoon around 3. The manager advised that no suspects were seen taking the panties. Since 2012, this is about the 12th major theft at Victoria's Secret store located in Murfreesboro. The thefts add up to well over $15,000. wgnsradio.com

$10,000 worth of merchandise recovered from Onalaska, WI Retail thefts
Onalaska police arrested six suspects and recovered more than $10,000 worth of merchandise from retail thefts on Saturday. Between 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., Onalaska police responded to four unrelated incidents at three different stores involving shoplifters, Onalaska police posted Monday to their Facebook page. Retail theft in Onalaska carries a $313 fine and risk ending up in jail and being charged with a felony, Onalaska police emphasized. "We realize a majority of citizens are not contemplating stealing merchandise this Holiday Season. For those who choose to shoplift, we will be watching!" Onalaska police wrote on their Facebook page. news8000.com

Madison WI shoplifter arrested at Shopko; $2500 of merchandise from Dick's and Boston Store found in car  Madison police said they found items from at least two stores in the car of a woman suspected of stealing from Shopko. Police officers said they were waiting outside Shopko at 7401 Mineral Point Rd. on Wednesday night when Jessica A. Stern walked out with a cart filled with items. Police were called by store security for a shoplifting in progress. Stern said she was not stealing the merchandise, but had purchased the items on another date, planned to return them, but had now changed her mind, according to police. Officers said surveillance images showed her stealing the items. Police said they searched Stern's car and found items with tags attached from numerous stores, including Dick's Sporting Goods and Boston Store. Officers determined the amount of merchandise stolen from Shopko totaled $535 and items from other stores totaled more than $2,500. Officers are trying to determine if the other items in the car were stolen. Stern had tools in her purse that could be used to sever anti-theft devices, police said. channel3000.com