US authorities dismantled a network of criminals who stole clothing and other products from well-known stores and then sold them in New York and the Dominican Republic. The cost of the stolen merchandise is estimated at about $2 million.
A group of thieves who stole clothing and beauty products worth nearly $2 million from Macy's and other well-known stores in the United States to later resell them in New York City and the Dominican Republic have been dismantled, they announced Tuesday. the authorities.
Five New Yorkers have been charged with possession of stolen property, conspiracy and other related crimes, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said.
The crackdown serves as a reminder to consumers — now with the Black Friday holiday shopping season formally kicking off this week — to make sure they buy from legitimate establishments, he said.
“When an offer seems too good to be true, I guarantee you, it is too good to be true,” Katz said.
Gov. Kathy Hochul, who was accompanied by the district attorney and other law enforcement officials in Queens, said the arrests represent the first time anyone has been charged under a measure she recently signed into law to combat the sale of stolen goods online. and in physical locations.
Nationally, businesses have lost about $4 billion annually to organized crime in retail since 2021, which in turn has cost federal and local governments billions in lost tax revenue and caused an increase in prices for consumers, said William Walker, head of Homeland Security's New York office of federal investigations.
It is estimated that the average family pays more than $500 a year in additional costs due to shoplifting, Walker said.
Katz said the group stole high-end makeup, perfumes, beauty products, designer clothing and accessories from stores ranging from Macy's to Victoria's Secret, American Eagle, Sephora and Ulta Beauty over a period of about two years.
The group's leaders, a couple from Queens, led teams of thieves to steal targeted merchandise from stores in New York, New Jersey, Maryland and other locations on the East Coast, he said.
They also paid truck drivers to divert products destined for retailers from manufacturers' warehouses directly to locations under their control.
The group, whose base of operations was a residence in Queens, resold the merchandise online and in an establishment called Yvelisse Fashion, in Santiago, Dominican Republic.
Tuesday's announcement is part of a broader effort by Hochul to counter criticism from Republicans that Democrats in New York are lenient on public safety issues, an issue that hurt his party in the midterm elections. 2022 term and has remained a constant argument for the Republican Party.
Hochul enacted a handful of measures this year aimed at combating shoplifting, including an increase in sentences for criminals for assaulting retail workers, new funding for police teams dedicated to shoplifting and tax credits for companies to install security cameras.
It also passed policies allowing prosecutors to combine the value of stolen goods when filing theft charges and made it easier to criminally charge sellers of stolen goods.