Will County Gazette

Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow’s innovative strategies to combat organized retail crime are gaining nationwide attention. Collaborating with federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies and retail partners, Glasgow’s office is targeting individuals higher up in criminal enterprises who conspire to steal large quantities of products and resell them for profit.

“When we think about retail theft, what typically comes to mind is an individual shoplifter who steals items for personal consumption or individual profit. But today’s retail theft is much more complex, as we have all seen from the dramatic video footage of major smash-and-grab and large-scale theft incidents at large and small retailers across the country,” Glasgow said. “These are targeted thefts using methods of coordinated and planned attacks on retailers, run by organized retail crime enterprises. These enterprises typically involve a group of individuals who steal large quantities of merchandise from numerous stores and sell the stolen merchandise or run fencing operations that purchase stolen merchandise from individual retail thieves and then resell the merchandise. The stolen items are often sold through online auction sites or even to other retailers.”

Working with retailers is a crucial aspect of Glasgow’s initiative. Assistant State’s Attorneys Michael Casson and Dant Foulk recently spoke at a conference organized by the Retail Industry Leaders Association about effective cooperation between prosecutors, law enforcement, and retailers in countering escalating organized retail crime incidents nationwide.

“Organized retail crime is one of the biggest issues facing the retail industry today, in terms of both financial loss and safety, as these types of crimes pose a major safety threat to retail workers and customers,” Casson said. “These criminal operations are typically divided into boosters, fences, and diverters. Boosters steal goods; fences purchase stolen goods for resale; diverters resell the products online or back to smaller retailers. Our strategy targets the means, market, and money involved in organized retail crime.”

Organizers also utilize individuals to “clean” merchandise by removing anti-theft stickers or store labels. In a recent case, Homeland Security Agents found trafficked females working against their will at a cleaning station during search warrant executions.

“These stolen goods are often distributed to a wide network of different diverters, many times across state lines,” Foulk stated. “Combating these types of operations requires coordination between retailers and government authorities across many geographical areas. This cooperation allows working groups to track patterns of sales, movement of money, and identify additional co-conspirators.”

Notable prosecutions include indictments brought in 2022 against 10 individuals charged in a multi-state fencing operation involving approximately $7.5 million in stolen merchandise operating in Chicagoland area stores.

The Will County State’s Attorney’s Office collaborated with multiple agencies including Homeland Security Investigations; Shorewood, Wilmette, Chicago Police Departments; Illinois Department of Revenue; Illinois State Police; California Highway Patrol; Kroger’s Organized Retail Crime Unit; CVS Organized Retail Crime Team; Walgreens; Target on a yearlong undercover investigation into this sophisticated operation.

“Collaboration between retailers, law enforcement, and prosecutors is crucial to our efforts to combat retail theft,” said RILA’s Senior Executive Vice President Lisa LaBruno. “Will County’s recent success in prosecuting a multi-state organized retail theft operation demonstrates how collaboration pays dividends for communities.”

Glasgow’s office was recognized by Homeland Security Investigations with the 2023 Prosecuting Agency of the Year Award for its novel approach.