Walmart, Target work together to thwart AirPod theft scheme stretching 21 states, DA says
Walmart, Target work together to thwart AirPod theft scheme stretching 21 states, DA says Two New York women were sentenced after pleading guilty to stealing over $100,000 in items from Walmart and Target stores across the country.
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Two New York women were sentenced to a decade in prison for operating a multistate retail theft ring that involved stealing over $100,000 worth of goods from Walmart and Target stores.
Ebony Fallon Washington (a.k.a. Stephanie Harris), 43, and Melissa Holland (a.k.a. Keisha Wilson), 46, both pleaded guilty to three counts of violating Georgia's Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, the Cherokee County District Attorney's Office said.
According to prosecutors, from June 2022 through August 2024, the women stole nearly $141,000 worth of merchandise in 187 different incidents across 21 states, including Georgia.
'Organized retail crime is a growing problem not only in our community, but nationwide,' DA Susan Treadaway said in a statement. The DA added that the two women were "clearly involved in an organized scheme" that impacted stores "throughout the country."
Women's scheme involved returning fraudulent AirPods: DA
The women's scheme consisted of them buying Apple AirPods with cash, using tools to remove genuine products from their packaging, replacing them with cheaper items, resealing the boxes to appear unopened and returning the fraudulent items for full cash refunds, the DA's office said.
In some cases, they used the refunded cash to buy more AirPods, thus continuing the cycle. They would also keep the authentic Apple products to resell for profit, according to prosecutors.
'These defendants operated in a coordinated effort with a specific plan in place. Although only two stores in Cherokee County were directly affected, Georgia's RICO Act enabled us to prosecute this broader criminal enterprise,' Assistant District Attorney Rachel Murphy, of the Gang and Organized Crime Unit, said in a statement.
Walmart and Target joined together in effort to curb theft scheme
Prosecutors in Cherokee County first considered bringing charges against the women in May 2024, when Walmart Global Investigations met with their Gang and Organized Crime Unit to discuss a "large theft ring involving both Walmart and Target," the DA's office said.
The two retail giants worked together to investigate the thefts and opted to share information with each other before going to law enforcement agencies, according to prosecutors.
The women were eventually arrested on Sept. 13, 2024, in Coweta County, southwest of Atlanta. While executing a search warrant, authorities found receipts for hotels near retail stores targeted in the scheme and tools used to open AirPods packaging in the women's rental car, according to the DA's office.
Authorities found more incriminating evidence on five cellphones that were being used by the women, prosecutors said.
In addition to the 10-year prison sentences, the women will also have to serve 10 years of probation and pay a total of $134,951.86 in restitution, which reflects the remaining balance after the value of recovered items was deducted from the total theft amount, the DA's office said.
USA TODAY contacted Walmart and Target on May 9 but has not received a response.
Jonathan Limehouse covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach him at JLimehouse@gannett.com.
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As much as many people like to feel that they'd never fall for a scam, we're all susceptible to them, to some extent. What's not so normal is job scammers asking victims to kick in their own money. The trick goes like this: After supposedly hiring someone or getting far enough in the process, the scammer will send someone a check and ask them to buy work-related equipment with it, such as a printer or office supplies. But the check will be for more money than the stuff costs, so they'll ask the person to send the difference back. Later, the check bounces, and the person is out of the money they spent on the equipment and sent to the scammer — and, potentially, in hot water for depositing a fake check. They may also ask people to buy gift cards or make payments to fake vendors who are in on the scam. 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