Orland Park Police Bust Shoplifting Spree
ORLAND PARK (CBS) – Your local mall could very well be the target of people flying in from out of state -- or even out of country.
They belong to organized rings that steal from the stores where you shop.
Orland Park police brought one alleged shoplifting spree to a sudden stop. Thanks to surveillance cameras, an alert store security person and quick officer response, two people are in jail.
The Florida pair is charged with lifting about $17,000 worth of merchandise -- $10,000 of it from Orland Square Mall.
Cmdr John Keating said the offenders -- Javier Percy Cori and Belkis Antonia Grinan -- made multiple trips to an empty car to dump their haul.
It's believed Cori and his lady partner were working with a larger group.
Keating says the man in question had been accused of stealing $50,000 worth of stuff in another state, so his picture circulated. A Banana Republic clerk recognized him and contacted police.
"She did a fantastic job," Keating said.
After her call, officers arrested the man and the woman, who also had a hotel room full of stolen clothes.
Tanya Triche, senior counsel for the Illinois Retail Merchants Association, says stolen merchandise can travel far.
"With the advantage of the Internet, this goes worldwide," she said. "The money that flows from this – it's easy to get, there's not a lot of risk. It's an easy way for criminal enterprises to fund other things they're doing against the law."
Consumers end up paying more because of the lost merchandise and security costs. There is also lost revenue for government services because thieves aren't paying sales taxes.
