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‘Retail theft on a massive scale’
Posted on 10/13/21 at 9:19 am
Posted on 10/13/21 at 9:19 am
‘Retail theft on a massive scale’: father-daughter duo sentenced in multi-million dollar shoplifting scheme
Call it a five-million finger discount.
A father-daughter duo from Atlanta have been sentenced to more than five years in prison for deploying an army of professional shoplifters to steal millions of dollars of merchandise from retailers such as CVS and Target and then selling the goods online.
Robert Whitley, 70, and his daughter, Noni Whitley, 47, were accused of running the scheme for nearly a decade and organizing the theft of $6.1 million worth of merchandise before being busted in 2019, prosecutors said.
The pair pleaded guilty in April to interstate transportation of stolen property. Prosecutors at the time described the Whitleys’ operation as a “well-organized criminal enterprise disguised as an apparently legitimate small business.”
“This is retail theft on a massive scale,” said Kurt Erskine, the acting U.S. attorney for the northern district of Georgia.
Robert Whitley was sentenced to five years and 10 months in prison and Noni Whitely was sentenced to five years. They were also ordered to pay $4.35 million in restitution.
‘Robert and Noni Whitley operated a well-organized criminal enterprise disguised as an apparently legitimate small business.‘ — Kurt Erskine, acting U.S. attorney for the northern district of Georgia.
Messages left with attorneys for the Whitleys weren’t immediately returned.
Prosecutors say Robert Whitley — who also went by Mr. Bob — and his daughter would give shoplifters lists of items they were looking for, like razor blades, toothpaste, cosmetics and over-the-counter drugs such as Prilosec, Rogaine and Claritin.
The shoplifters would steal the products from big retail chains including CVS Walgreens Target Kroger and Publix, and return with garbage bags full of boosted items to an Atlanta warehouse run by the Whitleys, who would pay for them in cash, according to court filings. Representatives for CVS, Walgreens, Target, Kroger and Publix did not respond immediately for comment.
The Whitleys would then remove all price tags and anti-theft devices from the stolen goods, and sell them at steeply discounted prices through third-party e-commerce platforms including Amazon Marketplace, Walmart Marketplace and Sears Marketplace, as well as on their own websites, Closeout Express and Essentials Daily Discount.
An e-commerce bonanza
From 2011 through 2018, prosecutors say the Whitleys sold 140,000 items through their account on Amazon Marketplace, taking in $3.4 million. On Walmart Marketplace, the pair made 29,000 sales between 2017 and 2019 for $750,000. And on Sears Marketplace, they made 1,800 sales for around $50,000.
Messages left with representatives for Amazon, Walmart and Sears weren’t immediately returned.
When investigators shut the Whitleys’ business down in late 2019, they found more than $1 million worth of stolen merchandise in their warehouse.
In court filings, Robert Whitley’s attorney said his client was a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who had a long-time heroin addiction. He got sober in 1984 and spent years counseling others to help them find sobriety, the attorney said. While Whitley didn’t deny dealing in stolen goods, his primary aim was to help other people with heroin addiction, a problem that many of the shoplifters he dealt with had, his attorney said.
Noni Whitley’s attorney argued in court filings that his client had a difficult upbringing due to both her parents’ drug addictions, but had maintained “blind loyalty to her father,” which led her to work alongside him in the criminal enterprise.
Investigators say the thefts not only impacted big companies, but hurt small businesses that lost customers who unknowingly bought low-priced, stolen goods online from the Whitleys instead.
“The Whitleys are now paying the price for inflicting financial harm to legitimate small businesses and consumers affected by those businesses losses,” said Chris Hacker, special agent in charge at the FBI’s field office in Atlanta.
LINK
Call it a five-million finger discount.
A father-daughter duo from Atlanta have been sentenced to more than five years in prison for deploying an army of professional shoplifters to steal millions of dollars of merchandise from retailers such as CVS and Target and then selling the goods online.
Robert Whitley, 70, and his daughter, Noni Whitley, 47, were accused of running the scheme for nearly a decade and organizing the theft of $6.1 million worth of merchandise before being busted in 2019, prosecutors said.
The pair pleaded guilty in April to interstate transportation of stolen property. Prosecutors at the time described the Whitleys’ operation as a “well-organized criminal enterprise disguised as an apparently legitimate small business.”
“This is retail theft on a massive scale,” said Kurt Erskine, the acting U.S. attorney for the northern district of Georgia.
Robert Whitley was sentenced to five years and 10 months in prison and Noni Whitely was sentenced to five years. They were also ordered to pay $4.35 million in restitution.
‘Robert and Noni Whitley operated a well-organized criminal enterprise disguised as an apparently legitimate small business.‘ — Kurt Erskine, acting U.S. attorney for the northern district of Georgia.
Messages left with attorneys for the Whitleys weren’t immediately returned.
Prosecutors say Robert Whitley — who also went by Mr. Bob — and his daughter would give shoplifters lists of items they were looking for, like razor blades, toothpaste, cosmetics and over-the-counter drugs such as Prilosec, Rogaine and Claritin.
The shoplifters would steal the products from big retail chains including CVS Walgreens Target Kroger and Publix, and return with garbage bags full of boosted items to an Atlanta warehouse run by the Whitleys, who would pay for them in cash, according to court filings. Representatives for CVS, Walgreens, Target, Kroger and Publix did not respond immediately for comment.
The Whitleys would then remove all price tags and anti-theft devices from the stolen goods, and sell them at steeply discounted prices through third-party e-commerce platforms including Amazon Marketplace, Walmart Marketplace and Sears Marketplace, as well as on their own websites, Closeout Express and Essentials Daily Discount.
An e-commerce bonanza
From 2011 through 2018, prosecutors say the Whitleys sold 140,000 items through their account on Amazon Marketplace, taking in $3.4 million. On Walmart Marketplace, the pair made 29,000 sales between 2017 and 2019 for $750,000. And on Sears Marketplace, they made 1,800 sales for around $50,000.
Messages left with representatives for Amazon, Walmart and Sears weren’t immediately returned.
When investigators shut the Whitleys’ business down in late 2019, they found more than $1 million worth of stolen merchandise in their warehouse.
In court filings, Robert Whitley’s attorney said his client was a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who had a long-time heroin addiction. He got sober in 1984 and spent years counseling others to help them find sobriety, the attorney said. While Whitley didn’t deny dealing in stolen goods, his primary aim was to help other people with heroin addiction, a problem that many of the shoplifters he dealt with had, his attorney said.
Noni Whitley’s attorney argued in court filings that his client had a difficult upbringing due to both her parents’ drug addictions, but had maintained “blind loyalty to her father,” which led her to work alongside him in the criminal enterprise.
Investigators say the thefts not only impacted big companies, but hurt small businesses that lost customers who unknowingly bought low-priced, stolen goods online from the Whitleys instead.
“The Whitleys are now paying the price for inflicting financial harm to legitimate small businesses and consumers affected by those businesses losses,” said Chris Hacker, special agent in charge at the FBI’s field office in Atlanta.
LINK
Posted on 10/13/21 at 9:21 am to djmed
I think their problem was living in Georgia.
If they lived in Cali and did this, they wouldn’t have been charged since it wouldn’t be interstate trafficking of stolen goods.
If they lived in Cali and did this, they wouldn’t have been charged since it wouldn’t be interstate trafficking of stolen goods.
Posted on 10/13/21 at 9:25 am to teke184
LA and SF would have given them a merit badge.
Posted on 10/13/21 at 9:26 am to djmed
discounted prices through third-party e-commerce platforms including Amazon Marketplace, Walmart Marketplace and Sears Marketplace, as well as on their own websites, Closeout Express and Essentials Daily Discount.
Posted on 10/13/21 at 9:26 am to Auburn1968
And a key to the city...
Posted on 10/13/21 at 9:26 am to djmed
Why wouldn't more people do this? Exploit the system the politicians have laid out.
Posted on 10/13/21 at 9:34 am to tiggerthetooth
quote:
Why wouldn't more people do this? Exploit the system the politicians have laid out.
More people are doing this
Posted on 10/13/21 at 9:36 am to djmed
we practically had to inventory the plastic spoons at TCBY back in the day when i worked there and there would be hell to pay if something came up short.
its a different world out there, kids.
Posted on 10/13/21 at 9:41 am to Hogwallop
funny how there are no pictures of the culprits online.
Posted on 10/13/21 at 9:43 am to CAD703X
This is a new wrinkle on an old scam which had been obsolete.
Old scam was to take credit cards which were stolen and buy a ton of stuff under the call-in amount so that you could get a ton of items without the card being reported.
It worked because these were the 70s and 80s with the old imprint machines instead of the point of sale terminals of today which directly communicate with the company.
“Under the limit” masters would get a panel truck and go from store to store making small purchases of razors and other items which were relatively low cost with resale value and then sell the contents wholesale to mom and pop stores.
Wiseguy, the book that Goodfellas is based on, covered this scam and how it worked because the guy in question did the higher version of this scam, where you would buy TVs or other high ticket items below the limit, before selling the cards to the guys who would do this exact scam.
Old scam was to take credit cards which were stolen and buy a ton of stuff under the call-in amount so that you could get a ton of items without the card being reported.
It worked because these were the 70s and 80s with the old imprint machines instead of the point of sale terminals of today which directly communicate with the company.
“Under the limit” masters would get a panel truck and go from store to store making small purchases of razors and other items which were relatively low cost with resale value and then sell the contents wholesale to mom and pop stores.
Wiseguy, the book that Goodfellas is based on, covered this scam and how it worked because the guy in question did the higher version of this scam, where you would buy TVs or other high ticket items below the limit, before selling the cards to the guys who would do this exact scam.
Posted on 10/13/21 at 9:45 am to djmed
quote:
A father-daughter duo from Atlanta have been sentenced to more than five years in prison for deploying an army of professional shoplifters to steal millions of dollars of merchandise from retailers such as CVS and Target and then selling the goods online.
That punishment is not a deterrent for that crime.
Posted on 10/13/21 at 9:55 am to djmed
I can't seem to find any pictures online of the perps. Odd.
Posted on 10/13/21 at 9:57 am to djmed
Any pictures of the perpetrators?
Posted on 10/13/21 at 10:25 am to djmed
George Soros funded D.A.’s who refuse to prosecute causing further chaos. It’s all part of the Global Elite’s plan……..
Posted on 10/13/21 at 10:36 am to lsufan1971
Noni has a LinkedIn profile.
Posted on 10/13/21 at 10:39 am to djmed
5-years? WTF. Thanks Soros and Brandon
Posted on 10/13/21 at 10:42 am to The Maj
The retailers stolen from should file suits against Amazon Marketplace, Walmart Marketplace, and Sears Marketplace, for negligence and facilitating their selling of the goods. How many others are fencing stolen goods through these sites?
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