Changes to Proposition 47 are guaranteed to be on the November ballot.
Reform Prop. 47, a law that would set the minimum threshold for felonies for theft and robbery at $950, is likely to be voted on in November.
Fox – LA
Attorney General Rob Bonta announced charges against an “organized retail crime ringleader” who orchestrated a scheme that included the theft of approximately $8 million worth of beauty products in 21 California counties.
The woman is accused of paying more than seven people to steal from Ulta Beauty stores and other retailers, the Department of Justice announced Friday.
The ringleader, whose name has not been made public, is suspected of selling the stolen cosmetics on Amazon stores at a fraction of the retail price. Multiple news agencies, including CBS, reported that she was from San Diego County.
Charges filed in the case include organized retail theft, conspiracy, receiving stolen property, and multiple counts of grand theft. The Justice Department said the female accomplices were captured on surveillance video and have been charged.
Recovered items
When investigators searched the ringleader’s home, they said they found a large quantity of cosmetics stored, organized and ready to be shipped, still in the manufacturer’s packaging.
Investigators say Ulta and Sephora retailers conducted an inventory of recovered products worth an estimated $400,000 during recent home searches.
Thefts occurred in San Bernardino, Alameda, Placer, Kern, Contra Costa, Orange, Los Angeles, Santa Clara, San Diego, Sacramento, San Mateo, Solano, Riverside, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Napa, Marin, Tulare, Sonoma, Ventura and Yolo counties. .
Nationwide losses from this multi-year theft operation are estimated at more than $7.8 million.
Mr Bonta said organized retail crime has significant economic and safety implications for businesses, retailers and consumers.
“We are dealing with a brazen case of organized retail theft, and we are making it clear that such criminal activity will not be tolerated in California,” Bonta said.
Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz can be reached at 760-951-6227 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @DP_ReneDeLaCruz