If nothing else, 2019 has been a big year for (alleged) scams.
Twenty-three people have now been charged in connection with a multimillion-dollar shoplifting scam operation spanning New York and New Jersey. Per a report from WABC-TV, local authorities put the pieces of the operation together after a year-long investigation that ultimately brought them to alleged mastermind Stephan Williams.
Beginning with hundreds of thousands of dollars in Jersey City, the enterprise is alleged to have eventually grown into one worth millions thanks to a system in which participating shoplifters were instructed to procure items from a predetermined catalog list.
Affected chain stores include Ulta Beauty, CVS, Walgreens, and Duane Reade. Over-the-counter meds, vitamins, beauty supplies, and multivitamins are among the items said to have been taken througout the operation. A typical hit, according to investigators, would see a hired driver dropping off as many as 10 shoplifters at the locations. The obtained catalog items were then allegedly put up for sale via eBay.
"When we talk about organized retail theft sometimes it doesn't come off as a very sexy crime," Jersey City Police Chief Mike Kelly conceded at a recent press conference, according to the New York Post. However, Kelly added, these alleged actions had the potential to affect people in multiple regions by having "snowballed into millions of dollars in organized retail theft."
The Jersey City Police Department did not immediately respond to Complex's request for comment.
According to the most recent reports on the bust, 11 alleged participants have been arrested, with warrants for "several others" issued. A total of 23 people have reportedly been charged in connection with the scam. An estimated $3 million in stolen items has been recovered by police, who also managed to freeze a pair of bank accounts totaling approximately $4.5 million.
