Hutchinson, KS: Kroger Organized Retail Crime Unit bust C-Store Operator selling stolen goods
Police say Patel, the owner of the Zip Trip Foods in Hutchinson was purchasing what he believed to be stolen goods from a member of Kroger's organized retail crime unit. On Friday, Patel entered a plea of guilty and was granted 1 year probation. The stolen goods included cases of Red Bull energy drinks, Tide laundry detergent and cigarettes. Patel had made numerous purchases, then stored the items in another building. The items were secretly marked and eventually showed up on his store shelves. hayspost.com



Fake Credit Card Trio busted hitting Ambridge, PA., Rite Aid every twenty minutes
Bought $22,000 in gift cards with stolen cards
Two guys alternated going into the Rite Aid using sham credit cards, and in a matter of 20 minutes, they purchased $22,000 in gift cards," Ambridge Police Chief Jim Mann said.

Mann said the card the men were using to purchase the gift cards was registered with a security firm, which contacted the card's owner, a woman in Texas. The woman immediately contacted Rite Aid, and officers moved in.

Ambridge police said the three men - Denard Burton, Isaiah Levye and Keith Harvey - stole the identity and credit card numbers of numerous people and used them to create more than 50 fake credit cards. The men bought a variety of items, including hundreds of gift cards, iPhones and gaming systems, with the fake cards. Police said Ambridge wasn't the men's only target, saying they had hit stores all over Beaver County and some in Allegheny County.

They were a samll part of a bigger operation. "This is a sophisticated, elaborate operation. We don't know how these three fit in. We know it's much bigger than Ambridge," Mann said. wpxi.com

Passaic County, NJ: Two Men Charged In Identity Theft, $20,000 in Car Parts
Robert Vinales purchased credit card information and used it to try and purchase nearly $20,000 in car parts online. Vinales used several fake addresses and a fake name to get the parts; an accomplice, Bright Rembert, 47, is accused of helping Vinales. Vinales was charged with identity theft, trafficking in personal identifying information, fraudulent use of credit cards; Rembert was charged with conspiracy to aide in the fraudulent use of credit cards, authorities said. patch.com

Willmar, MN: Trio, including Security Guard, face charges in $8,000 Thefts from three mall stores
A Kandi Mall security guard and two others are facing multiple charges in the alleged theft of nearly $8,000 worth of mall merchandise from three mall stores in January. The three stopped at Glik's, Game Stop and Andrea's Boutique, leaving each with a large amount of items. Several PlayStation 4 video game consoles had been reported stolen from Game Stop in the burglary. So Willmar Police Officers obtained administrative subpoenas of activity on those stolen consoles, using their serial numbers. wctrib.com



Allentown, PA: Police identity suspects in $700 Mahoning Township Walmart theft
Mahoning Township police have identified the two suspects they say stole $700 in merchandise from a local Walmart.The theft happened just after midnight on July 31. Police say the stolen items include Fusion Pro razors and replacement cartridges. wfmz.com



New York: Billionaire posts $5K reward for NY ORC Ice Cream Gang
Ice cream thieves are on the rampage in New York and one billionaire has reached melting point. The supermarket tycoon Friday offered a $5,000 reward leading to their arrests and prosecution. John Catsimatidis, who owns the Gristedes chain of grocery stores, said he was fed up with a ruthless gang cleaning out his freezer cases and selling luxurious cartons to corner stores for a fraction of the price.

"This gang of three to four people comes in and puts them in large shopping bags, they distract the manager and sell them," he added. The biggest single theft was around 100 to 125 tubs worth $700-800, with stores in Manhattan the hardest hit, he said. The scam had been going on six months, Catsimatidis complained. nation.com

Mob crackdown shows South Florida is still home for Organized Crime
For as long as there have been palm trees, good restaurants and easy money to be made here, mobsters have treated South Florida as their sunny home away from home. Though some say the glory days of La Cosa Nostra are over, experts say this month's indictment of 46 alleged mafia bosses, members and associates - including seven men from Palm Beach and Broward counties - shows there's still plenty of life left in the mob. Many of the 46 suspects named in the new indictment face racketeering conspiracy (RICO) charges that could put them in federal prison terms for as much as 20 years, if convicted. They also face fines of up to $250,000 and seizure of their assets. The conspiracy involved "traditional" mob-style activities including illegal gambling, extortion, arson and the illegal sale of guns and untaxed cigarettes, investigators said. sun-sentinel.com

North Andover, MA: New England Spike in Thefts tied to Heroin Epidemic