Investigators across multiple states are piecing together a web of alleged retail crime stretching from Texas to New York and along a major southern highway, with authorities outlining schemes that prosecutors say siphoned millions of dollars from stores and left behind a trail of arrests.
In Texas, financial crime investigators say three men from Eastern Europe were taken into custody for their alleged roles in a widespread gift card fraud operation that authorities believe generated roughly $14 million.
The suspects, identified as Kristians Petroviskis, Romunds Cubrevics and Nurmunds Ulevicus, were arrested by the Texas Financial Crimes Intelligence Center, according to Fox Austin.
All three men are Latvian citizens, and investigators said they were in the United States illegally at the time of their arrests.
According to authorities, the trio told investigators that they had been stealing gift cards daily since May, targeting roughly 10 stores per day.
The cards were allegedly taken from store displays before being altered and returned to shelves.
Authorities described a methodical process designed to leave little visible evidence of tampering.
“The card is removed, and then the material on the back that covers up the numbers to transfer anything or activate the card is then removed so that they can see it,” FCIC Director Adam Colby said.
“The numbers that are on the card are then programmed into another program that the criminals are using, which will now monitor that card.”
After the card information was captured, investigators said the suspects would carefully put the cards back together so they appeared untouched.
The altered cards were then placed back onto retail racks, where unsuspecting customers would later purchase them.
Colby said that once a legitimate buyer activated a compromised card and loaded funds onto it, the suspects were alerted.
“As soon as it is activated and money placed onto that card, the criminals are now aware of it, but they now have the ability to transfer the money off of that card and onto another card where it is then cashed out or used to buy high-end merchandise,” he said.
Authorities said that when the men were arrested, they were carrying more than 400 gift cards.
Investigators believe the group targeted stores across multiple Texas cities, including Dallas, Houston and San Antonio, as part of the alleged operation.
Farther north, New York authorities announced what they described as the dismantling of nearly an entire organized retail theft crew accused of stealing millions of dollars in merchandise from Home Depot stores across several states.
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz and Gov. Kathy Hochul disclosed the arrests during a press conference and in a written statement on Tuesday, Dec. 11.
According to officials, the Queens-based group consisted of 13 members and operated under the name “Operation Self Checkout.”
Prosecutors said the crew carried out more than 300 documented thefts at 128 Home Depot locations, resulting in approximately $2.2 million in stolen merchandise.
Law enforcement officials said they have already recovered items valued at about $1.5 million, with that total expected to increase as evidence is processed.
Authorities allege the group was led by 52-year-old Armando Diaz, who prosecutors say coordinated the thefts with precision.
Officials said members would gather nearly every morning at about 5:30 a.m. to plan their day before traveling to Home Depot stores in New York and eight other states.
Katz said the group’s daily hauls ranged from roughly $1,800 to as much as $35,000. “They also took breaks for lunch and dinner, sometimes hitting the same Home Depot up to four times in one day,” Katz said.
According to prosecutors, the operation had been active for years. The group allegedly concealed merchandise by loading it into shopping carts or large garbage bins before pushing the items out of stores.
Authorities said three or four members would enter stores separately, maintaining distance from one another while receiving real-time instructions from Diaz through earbuds.
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Officials said the individuals inside the stores did not speak to one another and behaved like ordinary shoppers.
Security footage of several alleged thefts was released to illustrate the group’s tactics.
The investigation began in June 2024 after authorities conducting surveillance for an unrelated case spotted members of the group stealing air conditioners, which officials described as one of the most frequently targeted items.
Other commonly stolen products included insulation kits, reflective roof coatings, power tools, smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors.
Prosecutors said the stolen merchandise also included saws, Bluetooth speakers, bolt cutters and handheld blowers.
Officials said the items were resold through black market channels, including a Brooklyn storefront and listings on Facebook Marketplace.
Along with Diaz, the group allegedly included Francisco Ayala-Ariza, Wilfredo “Fredo” Arango-Calle, Oscar Eduardo Valencia Diaz, Mateo Arias Toro, Victor Diaz, Joana Carolina “La Mona” Fermin, Freddy “El Torito” Padilla, Kyle “Italian” Goonan, David Araque Montoya, Angel Yamba Ortiz and Nechemia Blatter.
Eleven members were arraigned on a 780-count indictment on Wednesday, Dec. 10.
One suspect remains at large, while another is already in custody on a separate matter and is expected to be arraigned later.
The indictment includes fourth-degree conspiracy charges as well as counts of grand larceny and criminal possession of stolen property in the first degree.
In the South, Louisiana authorities outlined a separate case involving a Florida woman accused of participating in a multi-state retail theft spree along a long stretch of Interstate 10.
Teresa Webster, 56, of Boynton Beach, was arrested in Jennings, Louisiana, in August following a crash that investigators say led them to uncover additional alleged crimes.
According to the Jefferson Davis Parish Sheriff’s Office, Webster was charged with operating a vehicle while intoxicated, reckless operation of a vehicle, possession of drug paraphernalia, driving under suspension and illegal possession of stolen things.
Police said officers responded to a crash on Interstate 10 on July 29 involving a vehicle towing a trailer that overturned, trapping occupants who suffered minor injuries.
Witnesses told investigators that Webster’s erratic driving caused the crash, authorities said.
“Officers suspected Webster was under the influence of narcotics,” a Jennings Police Department press release stated. “She was detained at the scene, and a toxicology screening was conducted. Results are pending.”
Investigators later obtained a search warrant for Webster’s vehicle, where police said they found drug paraphernalia and items believed to be stolen.
“Further investigation linked Webster to a theft of tools from a Home Depot in Slidell, Louisiana, and the theft of a Louis Vuitton handbag valued at [around] $1,350 from a Dillard’s department store in Alabama,” the press release said.
Police said surveillance footage from multiple retailers showed Webster’s “involvement” in retail thefts along the I-10 corridor “stretching from Florida to Texas.”
Authorities added that she has a lengthy criminal history across four states, including cases involving narcotics, retail theft, fraud and possession of stolen property.
