In York County over a hundred people are now facing charges connected to a massive retail theft ring.
Investigators say the bust netted $750,000 in stolen merchandise.
Police say that one person in West York orchestrated this crime ring in which people would steal from stores and return merchandise without a receipt in order to get a gift card. They would later sell the gift cards online for a profit.
When asked if he has ever seen anything like this, West York Borough Police Department Patrolman David Kahley replied, “No, never.”
West York Borough Police started investigating a retail theft crime ring in October of last year and came to realize that they stumbled upon something they had never seen before.
Police estimate that about $750,000 was stolen from retailers from 2009 until now.
“They would have one person go inside the store and steal merchandise, that person would come out and give the merchandise to someone else who was waiting in the vehicle,” Kahley explained.
At that point, the person waiting would go back into the store and return it without a receipt, getting a gift card in return.
Police say the more than 110 people involved ranged in age from 16 to 65 and all had diverse backgrounds.
“A lot of these people were doing it to support a drug problem that they had,” Kahley continued. “They weren’t necessarily looking for just a couple bucks, these people were doing anything from $200 to $1,100 per retail theft and they’d come back and get half of that, that would be $500 that they could go get their drugs with, be satisfied for a day or two and then come back and do it again.”
At the center of the crime ring was 30-year-old James Giuffrida who is being charged with multiple felonies including organized retail theft.
“He was the one that was actually recruiting people to go out and do these retail thefts for him. He was telling them to hit specific stores and what stores not to go to, and ultimately they would bring back the gift cards for him that he would purchase from them and then resell them for a higher value online,” Kahley told us.
More than 90 retailers were hit at over 300 locations in York, Adams, Cumberland, Dauphin, Lebanon, and Lancaster Counties.
“We never expected it to grow this large,” stated the patrolman.
So far 110 people have been charged and 18 are pending charges, but police say they believe that at least 30 more people were involved.
They ask if you have any additional information regarding the thefts to please contact them.
Investigators say the bust netted $750,000 in stolen merchandise.
Police say that one person in West York orchestrated this crime ring in which people would steal from stores and return merchandise without a receipt in order to get a gift card. They would later sell the gift cards online for a profit.
When asked if he has ever seen anything like this, West York Borough Police Department Patrolman David Kahley replied, “No, never.”
West York Borough Police started investigating a retail theft crime ring in October of last year and came to realize that they stumbled upon something they had never seen before.
Police estimate that about $750,000 was stolen from retailers from 2009 until now.
“They would have one person go inside the store and steal merchandise, that person would come out and give the merchandise to someone else who was waiting in the vehicle,” Kahley explained.
At that point, the person waiting would go back into the store and return it without a receipt, getting a gift card in return.
Police say the more than 110 people involved ranged in age from 16 to 65 and all had diverse backgrounds.
“A lot of these people were doing it to support a drug problem that they had,” Kahley continued. “They weren’t necessarily looking for just a couple bucks, these people were doing anything from $200 to $1,100 per retail theft and they’d come back and get half of that, that would be $500 that they could go get their drugs with, be satisfied for a day or two and then come back and do it again.”
At the center of the crime ring was 30-year-old James Giuffrida who is being charged with multiple felonies including organized retail theft.
“He was the one that was actually recruiting people to go out and do these retail thefts for him. He was telling them to hit specific stores and what stores not to go to, and ultimately they would bring back the gift cards for him that he would purchase from them and then resell them for a higher value online,” Kahley told us.
More than 90 retailers were hit at over 300 locations in York, Adams, Cumberland, Dauphin, Lebanon, and Lancaster Counties.
“We never expected it to grow this large,” stated the patrolman.
So far 110 people have been charged and 18 are pending charges, but police say they believe that at least 30 more people were involved.
They ask if you have any additional information regarding the thefts to please contact them.