FLORIDA — The Florida Department of Law Enforcement say it broke up a multi-state organized crime ring, involving two major retail stores and hundreds of thousands of dollars of worth merchandise.

  • Members put fake barcodes to buy items at low costs
  • Stores that were hit included Home Depot, Target
  • Three people caught, two on the loose

FDLE said this ring used fraudulent barcodes with cheap prices and would put it over real ones to purchase more expense items at low costs. Three people have been caught and two remain on the loose.

FDLE said Usman Ali from South Florida was the ringleader. Officials said he would put fraudulent barcodes on expensive items at stores like Home Depot and Target.

Investigators said Ali would put a barcode for the price of an electrical outlet for $8 on a home Wi-Fi system costing $299.

Later suspects — including Rand Clark and Gwedolyn Walker, both from Orlando, as well as Harold Wilson and Keith Conyers — would come in to the store and purchase the items with the fraudulent barcode on it.

"The products were sold online through an eBay type of account earning a profit for thieves. If you are buying a valued at $300 for $8 and selling them at almost retail cost you can see the profit margin," explained FDLE Special Agent for Orlando Lee Massie.

Investigators say 23 counties in Florida, including Brevard, Lake, Marion, Orange and Volusia counties, were hit.

 "These suspects committed over 150 thefts valued at more $300,000 with 90 occurring in Florida, robbing local businesses of $150,000 of merchandise," said Massie.

Investigators said this operation had been going on since January before some of the suspects were caught.

They allegedly hit stores in Florida as well Mississippi and Alabama.

"By continuing checking their inventory and monitoring the types of activity they were able to go back historically start watching video and notified us," said Massie.

Wilson and Conyers are still on the loose.

 

  The Florida Department of Law Enforcement says the suspects of a multi-state crime ring would go in to the store and purchase the items with the fraudulent barcode on it. (FDLE)