All articles tagged with #stolen goods
An organized crime ring in Southern California stole over 600 times from Home Depot stores since January, amassing millions in stolen electronics, leading to the arrest of 14 individuals and charges against nine, including the ringleader David Ahl, with ongoing investigations.
A former Miami Heat security guard and retired Miami police officer, Marcos Thomas Perez, has been charged with stealing and selling over 400 NBA memorabilia items, including Finals jerseys, worth millions of dollars, exploiting his access to the team's storage to conduct the scheme over 18 months.
A Manhattan pawn shop owner pleaded guilty to conspiracy for buying and reselling stolen luxury items from high-profile burglaries across the U.S., including a break-in at Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow's home. The operation targeted homes of athletes and wealthy individuals, with the owner facing potential prison, restitution, and deportation.
Seven men from Southern California were charged in connection with the largest jewelry heist in U.S. history, stealing approximately $100 million worth of gold, diamonds, rubies, emeralds, and luxury watches from an armored truck in July 2022. The suspects allegedly scouted the scene, followed the truck, and stole multiple bags of jewelry, most of which has been recovered. Several also face charges related to theft of electronics and Apple AirTags.
A shipment of over a thousand Playdate gaming handhelds, worth $400,000, that had been stolen earlier this year, was found dumped outside a restaurant in North Las Vegas. Panic, the company behind Playdate, discovered the missing devices after extensive detective work. The Playdate is a unique $200 handheld with a crank, designed for indie games.
The Pittsburgh Penguins have recovered the stolen Jaromir Jagr bobbleheads and will distribute them to fans in April. After the bobbleheads went missing earlier this month, a special cargo recovery team negotiated their return, and fans holding vouchers can redeem them on April 6 and 7. The team had initially planned a promotional giveaway of the bobbleheads for a game on March 14, but the shipment was intercepted in California. Penguins' season-ticket holders can now look forward to redeeming their vouchers for the long-awaited Jagr bobbleheads.
Over $400,000 worth of stolen merchandise was found during a raid at two stores in the Westlake District by the Los Angeles Police Department. The stores were allegedly selling stolen goods, including items taken in smash-and-grab robberies and retail thefts. Three people were arrested, and more arrests may follow as the investigation continues. The LAPD's Rampart Division is targeting those involved in retail crime to curb the cycle of theft and resale.
Dozens of people were arrested in a "retail theft mission" conducted by Portland police and the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office, resulting in the recovery of over $3500 in stolen goods from various stores. The operation targeted shoplifting and other criminal activities, with some individuals receiving citations instead of being taken into custody. Four individuals face felony charges, while two had felony warrants.
Two GameStop stores in Cordova and Bartlett, Tennessee, were broken into by a group of eight men who stole video game consoles, controllers, and games. The suspects fled the scene, but an abandoned vehicle matching the description was later found with stolen items inside. The Memphis Police Department is investigating the incident, and Bartlett Police have been contacted for more information.
Memphis police are searching for four to five suspects who burglarized a GameStop on Winchester Road, stealing gaming systems including PlayStation 5 consoles, Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switches, and other items totaling approximately $20,000. Authorities are urging anyone with information to contact CrimeStoppers for a potential cash reward.
A burglary at a smoke shop in north Lincoln resulted in $29,000 worth of damage after a stolen car was rammed into the building. The car was used to gain entry, and an undetermined amount of product was stolen. No suspects have been apprehended, and an investigation is ongoing.
The owner of a Minnesota tattoo parlor, Matthew R. Lampi, has been indicted on charges of conspiracy and interstate transport of stolen goods, including human remains such as brains, lungs, and stillborn babies. Lampi was allegedly involved in a cross-country scheme to buy and sell stolen body parts, and was open about his collection in online posts before his indictment. The scheme involved several other individuals, including a former manager at the Harvard Medical School morgue and his wife. Lampi's interest in collecting human skulls brought him into contact with Jeremy Pauley, 41, of Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, who allegedly sold many of the stolen remains to other people, including Lampi.
Nine people have been indicted for stealing sports memorabilia worth millions, including six championship belts from the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2015. The thefts date back to 1999 and include World Series rings, jerseys, antique guns, gems, and jewelry. The accused melted down some of the stolen goods and sold the raw metal for hundreds of thousands of dollars. Some items have been returned to their owners, but many are still unaccounted for. The nine indicted face charges including theft of major artwork and conspiracy to dispose of major objects of cultural heritage.
The manager of a morgue at Harvard Medical School, Cedric Lodge, has been charged with selling body parts from donated cadavers and allowing buyers to come to the morgue to choose which parts they wanted, federal prosecutors said. Lodge and his wife, Denise Lodge, both of Goffstown, N.H., and three others had been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pennsylvania on charges of conspiracy and interstate transport of stolen goods. The defendants were all part of a nationwide network that bought and sold human remains stolen from Harvard Medical School and a mortuary in Little Rock where Ms. Scott worked, prosecutors said.