8 arrested on suspicion of counterfeit-to-cash scheme
SEAL BEACH, Calif.  Authorities have arrested eight people in a probe of a gang suspected of using counterfeit currency to buy merchandise at retail stores and return the goods for real cash. Seal Beach police and Secret Service officials said Thursday that the investigation began in December 2014 after the fake $20 bills were used at a local store in California.

Authorities said more than $100,000 worth of the same counterfeit bills have been used across the country. Seal Beach police said they were still investigating where the phony bills were manufactured.

The five women and three men -- many of whom have ties to L.A. street gangs -- are accused of using counterfeit bills to purchase gift cards and merchandise at big-box stores like Nordstrom and Target, police said. The suspects typically spent between $500 and $1,000 at a time, then return the items for cash refunds, police said.

About 200 law enforcement professionals, including agents with the U.S. Secret Service, served search warrants at 15 sites in Southern California on Thursday and seized computers, counterfeit bills and weapons, police said.  cbs8.com latimes.com

Lexington, KY: Lexington Police Detective tracks Victoria's Secret ORC Multi- State Ring  A Lexington Police Detective is getting close to ending a multi-state theft ring. The thieves took less than 60 seconds to clear out about $4,000 of clothing from a display at the Victoria's Secret in Hamburg. Lexington was just one of the cities hit in a theft ring that included multiple states. "We started getting in tips," said Detective Mark Thomas of the Lexington Police Department. "A lot of tips. All across the Midwest." After much work, and with the help of the tips, detectives were able to connect all of the robberies. Detective Thomas noticed a pattern in the robberies. Many of the targets were in the 1-64 corridor, as far west as St. Louis. There were even some northern states targeted. Thomas was able to track the silver-haired suspect to Ferguson, Missouri, using tips sent in and by finding the "shady" Instagram accounts, which are now private. "It's our intention to reach out to Ferguson and bring this person back to Lexington to stand trial," said Thomas. Thomas does not believe she was working alone and is looking for her accomplices. lex18.com

Bath, OH: Smash & Grab thief makes off with $12,400 in designer frames from Eye and Vision Center  Dozens of eyeglass frames were stolen during a smash-and-grab in Bath early Thursday morning and the case could be connected to a similar crime in Akron. Police responded to Eye and Vision Center on Ghent Road just after midnight after the store's security system alerted authorities of a break in. According to employees, someone threw a concrete block through the front window, went into the store and took 62 pairs of eye frames from the main lobby area. The frames were valued at $12,400. A laptop was also stolen. newsnet5.com

Coconut Creek, FL: Wife to testify against husband in stolen Lego case
A wife's agreement to testify against her husband has resulted in plea deals for the couple arrested with thousands of stolen toys lining floor-to-ceiling shelves in their Coconut Creek garage. Sela Mafi and Krishna Ramotar were arrested in February after a nearly year long investigation revealed they were selling stolen toys online after creating bar codes and placing them over existing ones to scam lower prices out of retailers, (Toys R Us, Target and Wal-Mart) in Broward and Palm Beach counties. Late last month, Mafi, 34, pleaded no contest to a solitary count of organized fraud in exchange for three years of probation and an agreement to testify against Ramotar. Ramotar, who has been jailed since his arrest, his change of plea hearing on Sept. 29. Broward Assistant State Attorney Don Tenbrook has made an offer of two years in prison in exchange for Ramotar's guilty plea. sun-sentinel.com