Marion Co. deputies arrest 31 in retail theft ring hitting Walmart, Target and Publix  The Marion County Jail has 31 new inmates Tuesday after deputies cracked down on a major crime trend. Deputies say they were part of a massive retail theft ring. The Marion County Sheriff's Office and the Ocala Police Department teamed up with several local retailers to investigate thefts. Deputies say over the course of two days last week they arrested 31 people for stealing items from stores like Walmart, Target and Publix. Last year, Marion County deputies and Ocala Police busted a similar theft ring resulting in the arrest of 33 people.  myfoxorlando.com

Eight plead guilty to their roles in two organized retail crime scams in Albany County  In the first incident, three men pleaded guilty and one was sentenced before County Judge Thomas Breslin in a counterfeit bill scam, the district attorney's office said. On Nov. 22, the four men made small purchases to get change from counterfeit $100 bills at stores in Colonie, the district attorney's office said. When they were stopped, they also had additional counterfeit $100 bills in their car.

In a separate case, one man was sentenced and three others pleaded guilty before Judge Stephen Herrick for their roles in a credit card scam involving 30 fraudulent cards. At 8:33 p.m. Nov. 17, State Police stopped a car for speeding on I-90 in Guilderland and found four people with 30 fraudulent credit and debit cards. State Police also recovered iPads, iPods and other electronics that were purchased using fake cards at different Best Buy stores. All four pleaded guilty between April and August to one count each of felony criminal possession of a forged instrument and misdemeanor conspiracy. timesunion.com

Durham, Raleigh target 'Organized Retail Crime' after man's 18th arrest - Detective partnering with Macy's for training  Durham Police are taking action following a string of retail crimes, they say, were all committed by the same person. O'Marshall Mason's been arrested 18 times for a variety of offenses, including several cases of larceny. Police say Mason pleaded guilty and is now in jail, after he was caught on surveillance video stealing soap from a Durham Walmart last year. They say he's also stolen items from TJ Maxx, Home Depot and Macys, as part of a scheme they call "Organized Retail Crime."  What he's doing is not shoplifting. That is organized retail crime," Detective Deborah Smith with Durham Police said. "Larceny and shoplifting is normally one person taking something for their personal use. They usually don't go out and take that one little item and try to sell it and get financial gain for it." That case prompted Detective Smith, along with a Raleigh officer to partner with Macys for a special training to help stop that kind of crime.  wncn.com

Woman charged in connection with $360,000 fraud ring involving Disney theme park tickets  An Orange County woman appeared in federal court Monday afternoon, charged with being part of a fraud ring involving hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of Disney theme park tickets. Hightower pleaded not guilty on Monday. The Secret Service said Hightower and at least three accomplices used other people's credit card accounts to make $360,000 in fraudulent purchases in the last eight months at a dozen Orlando area resorts, mostly to buy large amounts of Walt Disney World theme park tickets. According to court documents, Hightower has worked previously reselling theme park tickets. wesh.com


Jackson, TN: Woman accused of stealing more than $4K in Polo items from Old Hickory Mall  Kearea Ward is accused of taking 67 Polo brand items from Belk around 8 p.m. Wednesday valued at a total of $4,498. Police say Ward had been taken into custody in a separate incident and that store loss prevention contacted them about surveillance video showing her taking the merchandise. During an investigation, several items were recovered from the car Ward was in during her arrest, the document states. wbbjtv.com


Surprise, AZ: Police seek help IDing Target theft suspect
Surprise Police are looking for a suspect in an organized retail theft that occurred at 5 p.m. July 14 at a Target store in the area of Bell Road and Grand Avenue in Surprise. Upon arrival, officers discovered a suspect used a utility knife to cut security cables, removed electronic merchandise from a secured display, and exited the store without paying for the items. yourwestvalley.com