Woman reportedly stole from same Long Beach store 30 times
In what is being called by prosecutors the largest single case of shoplifting in the history of Long Beach, a woman was arrested Thursday under suspicion of shoplifting 30 times from the same store.
The Long Beach City Prosecutor's Office said in a criminal complaint that the crimes occurred between Sept. 9, 2023 and June 13, 2024, and that they involved the theft of handbags, jeans and other items from TJ Maxx. All of the crimes occurred at the same store, according to City Prosecutor Douglas Haubert.
"I've never seen a person go this long without being caught," Haubert told KCAL News Thursday.
The estimated value of the allegedly stolen merchandise was about $6,000, with the value of the alleged theft in each case totaling less than $950, according to the City Prosecutor's Office, which said anti-theft wire locks were cut to remove some of the merchandise.
Florence Leslie Miller, 27, is set to be arraigned Friday in a Long Beach courtroom on 30 misdemeanor theft charges, according to the City Prosecutor's Office.
Haubert said prosecutors will add charges or file additional cases if they discover other retailers were targeted. In a statement announcing the case, Haubert said "the bold nature of the crimes is particularly alarming."
The city prosecutor noted that the persistence from TJ Maxx employees who filed theft reports and kept photos and videos of the incidents ultimately made the filing of the case possible, and commended the Long Beach Police Department for spending the time to piece the case together.
Miller was on misdemeanor probation for theft at the time of five of the alleged crimes.