SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — The alleged ringleader behind a string of retail thefts across 21 counties in California is facing justice. Attorney General Rob Bonta says the stated charged a San Diego County woman with allegedly leading a crime ring, hiring others to steal goods before reselling them on sites like Amazon.
But Bonta also says the issue of retail theft in California is larger than this one case alone.
Thieves breaking display cases with hammers, ripping registers from stores and carrying out smash-and-grab robberies. These are all part of the unsettling reality of retail theft around California.
In a press conference Fri., Attorney General Rob Bonta announced charges agianst a woman accused of hiring people to steal nearly $8 million in beauty products from stores across the state, including San Diego County.
"And then having those individuals go out to the stores, commit the thefts, and either mail them back to her or bring them to her home ... where she again sold them on Amazon Marketplace," said Attorney General Bonta. "The criminal complaint includes 140 counts. 136 are charges for grand theft, which are all felonies."
The press conference comes just a day after Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas introduced Assembly Bill 2943, also called the California Retail Theft Reduction Act. It expands the definition of grand theft and and makes it easier to charge people with possessing and selling stolen goods.
But it doesn't address Proposition 47, the often-criticized policy that means you have to steal at least $950 worth of merchandise to get charged with a felony. ABC 10News Reporter Moses Small asked Bonta whether or not he believes AB 2943 does enough to address crime.
"The thing that deters crime, deters an individual from committing a crime, is the belief that they'll be caught if they commit it. Not so much that they'll be arrested for a felony versus a misdemeanor," said Bonta. "The introduction of the bill is not the fully fleshed-out bill. But I have been part of the conversations, I do think it's moving in the right direction. I do think that real solutions to the problems that we're seeing can be delivered without amending prop 47."
If you want to see the full text of the California Retail Theft Reduction Act, you can find it here.
