NY News, Nov 27, 2024: Did you think that theft at retail stores only causes losses for the shop owners? Think again. According to a set of data revealed by the New York governor in Queens District Attorney’s office on Tuesday (Nov 26), stores impacted by thieves will raise prices to compensate for the losses, resulting in a $500 annual loss per household passed on to consumers.
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz and Governor Hochu jointly announced on Tuesday that a couple, Christopher Guzman and Yvelisse Guzman Batista, along with three other defendants from Kew Gardens Hills in Queens, were charged with running a large-scale retail theft and fencing operation, stealing goods worth $2 million.
The investigation revealed that over the past two years, the couple organized a group of thieves to steal high-end cosmetics, perfumes, beauty products, designer clothing, and accessories from stores such as Macy’s, Sephora, and Ulta Beauty, then reselling the stolen goods at their own store in the Dominican Republic or directly selling online in the US. The couple typically bought back stolen goods from thieves at 10% of the retail price and resold them at 60-70% of market price, making a profit.
Half of the seized goods were not obtained from thieves but directly purchased at low prices from truck drivers transporting goods before they even reached retail store warehouses.
The Queens District Attorney’s office stated that this is the first time in New York that charges have been brought against this type of new criminal activity.
“If a product is unbelievably cheap, I guarantee you it’s not genuine,” Katz said. “These arrests once again prove that consumers should exercise extreme caution when buying goods from social media or unfamiliar suppliers, especially as the holidays approach.”
New York State has stepped up efforts to combat retail theft crimes this year. Prosecutors are now allowed to aggregate the value of stolen goods from various stores over a period of time when filing charges against thieves, and the act of fencing stolen goods has been deemed illegal. The state government has allocated $40 million and 100 state troopers to specifically combat these crimes.
“Ensuring the safety of New Yorkers is my top priority as governor,” Hochu said at a press conference. “The $2 million worth of stolen goods today is not from Black Friday sales but stolen from legitimate businesses… We promise to change the days where stores have to lock toothpaste in cabinets to sell.”
According to data from the governor and the Department of Homeland Security Investigation Bureau, since 2021, the retail industry in the US has incurred losses of $100 billion, leading to a tax loss of $15 billion, resulting in a $500 annual loss per household.
The defendants face charges of theft, possession of stolen property, and conspiracy; if convicted, they could face 8 to 25 years in prison, with the next court date set for January 15 next year.