By JAN McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Local law enforcement is focusing on organized retail crime rings – a type of shoplifting on steroids.
The first arrests have been made by the Northwest Ohio Regional Retail Crime Task Force, headed by Wood County Sheriff Mark Wasylyshyn. The pilot program, created by Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, targets people working with “organized crime,” using gift cards fraudulently, or those pushing carts full of merchandise out without paying.
“It’s all of the above,” Wasylyshyn said. “It involves people compensated for stealing items, and turning them over to a crime syndicate.”
The pilot program here in Wood County is on the lookout for the foot soldiers of the operations.
“We will start with the little guys,” then hopefully move up the ladder by tracking or questioning suspects, Wasylyshyn said. “We want to go after the big boys.”
The task force was established following the enactment of the Fight Organized Retail Crime and Empower Law Enforcement Act earlier this year. The law authorizes the creation of law enforcement collaboratives to investigate organized retail theft – a crime that reportedly costs Ohio businesses up to $3 billion annually.
“That we’re all paying for,” Wasylyshyn said.
The pilot task force is operating just in Wood County right now, with Rod Smith of the sheriff’s office as director.
“They want us to get this running,” then expand it to the other counties, then all of Northwest Ohio, Wasylyshyn said. Eventually, the goal is to cover the state with five regional retail crime task forces.
Organized retail crime typically involves a criminal enterprise that employs a group of individuals to steal large quantities of merchandise from multiple stores. These groups maintain or use fencing operations to convert the stolen goods into cash.
The stolen items are then resold through various means including online auction sites, flea markets, retailers, pawn shops, and e-commerce marketplaces.
Organized retail crime involves sophisticated coordinated thefts at retail establishments. Current trends include:
- Using stolen or cloned credit cards to obtain merchandise.
- Changing barcodes to pay lower prices.
- Return stolen merchandise to obtain cash, gift cards or store credit.
- Resell merchandise on e-commerce sites.
- Gift card theft/altering gift cards to steal the funds added to the cards when they are later purchased by legitimate shoppers.
The first arrests by the Wood County task force took place on May 28 when James Haley, 30, of Columbus, and Shondel Tyshon Smith, 27, of Reynoldsburg, were charged with fifth-degree felonies of identity fraud and forgery.
The arrests followed a tip from a local Walmart reporting potential gift card fraud. Investigators arrested the suspects and located multiple gift cards that had been purchased with credit card information belonging to a victim in Florida. Authorities also seized a laptop and several payment cards. The investigation is ongoing.
“The Wood County Sheriff’s Office is excited to be part of this new task force. We are looking forward to making a serious impact on organized criminals and gangs stealing billions of dollars every year from retail stores across the state of Ohio,” Wasylyshyn said.
“The apprehension and arrest of these two individuals is exactly the reason for a task force such as this. Many victims of credit card fraud don’t even realize their information has been compromised until it’s too late and charges are racked up in schemes like these two were doing,” said Matt Gazarek, chief of Perrysburg Township Police Department.
“Organized retail theft victimizes the entire marketplace, from the merchants and producers to the consumers who are impacted by rising costs,” Yost said. “And this is just the beginning – kudos to Sheriff Wasylyshyn and Chief Gazarek for spearheading these efforts.”
