Michigan sees a rise in shoplifting rings Organized gangs that steal from retail stores in Michigan are not only driving up prices, they're putting the public at risk. Bill Hallan is with the Michigan Retailers Association. He says the thieves are getting bolder and will evade capture at all cost. "So they become violent, which posts a threat to consumers in the stores, as well as employees." Hallan says the average household pays an extra $400 a year to make up for the losses retailers incur because of theft. A bill making its way through the Michigan House would make organized retail theft a felony with tougher punishments than those for shoplifting. (Source michiganradio.org)

Two separate ORC busts at Home Depot in Mesa, Arizona Craig E. Brown was arrested after he tried to return a stolen vacuum cleaner to a Home Depot. Police said he made about $4,000 by returning stolen merchandise on nine separate occasions, over a seven-month period he began in March. Brown has been previously convicted for fraud, forgery and shoplifting. A second person, 29-year-old Veronica B. Moreno, was arrested after she allegedly used a fake receipt to return Merchandise at the Home Depot. Moreno was seen on video surveillance entering a Home Depot with a friend, taking items off a shelf and attempting to return the items with a receipt. Police reportedly found five different Arizona ID's and 13 different addresses for Home Depot locations when they searched Moreno. Both where charged with organized retail theft. (Source myfoxpheonix.com)