TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson introduced Thursday the arrest of two overseas nationals linked to an organized retail theft ring answerable for an estimated $1 million in losses to Residence Depot shops throughout a minimum of 10 states.
The investigation, led by the Florida Division of Agriculture and Shopper Companies’, FDACS, Workplace of Agricultural Legislation Enforcement, OALE, recognized the suspects as residents of Lithuania who operated a complicated “buy and return” scheme.
“Florida won’t tolerate organized retail theft or any felony exercise that threatens our companies, our shoppers, or our financial system,” Simpson mentioned.
The suspects, recognized as Mantas Bulicas and Eimantas Bagdonas, allegedly traveled from metropolis to metropolis, focusing on Residence Depot places. Their scheme concerned:
- Buying high-value battery-powered energy instruments utilizing overseas Visa debit playing cards.
- Eradicating the precious lithium batteries, rendering the instruments unsellable.
- Returning the now-incomplete objects at different retailer places for full refunds.
The felony exercise in Florida occurred in Escambia and Okaloosa Counties on Sept. twenty ninth and thirtieth leading to losses exceeding $3,500. Residence Depot estimates the entire losses nationwide at over $1 million.
Following an investigation assisted by the Division of Homeland Safety, arrest warrants have been issued on Nov. 3 for each suspects for one depend every of Organized Retail Theft, a second-degree felony.
OALE particular brokers situated the boys in Englewood, Colorado, and labored with the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Workplace to apprehend them with out incident on Nov. 5.
The suspects are at the moment awaiting extradition to Escambia County, Florida, the place they may face prosecution.
Subsequent investigations related the boys to related offenses in a minimum of 9 different states, together with Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, California, Utah, and Colorado.
