California police have cracked down on a nationwide “gypsy” shoplifting ring that has been stealing expensive electronic products from stores such as Apple, Best Buy, Costco, Microsoft, and Wal-Mart, reported CBS.
The suspects, who are members of a Polish “gypsy family,” have allegedly told detectives that they were responsible for 17 thefts that were worth $3 million in stolen electronics and merchandise, KNX 1070’s Jon Baird reported.
The two women and two men were arrested on March 7 in Hawthorne, Calif. The four suspects: Ausra Bauzinskaite, 34; Adeliya Nassybullina, 30; Lukasz Karasinski, 37; and Przemyslaw Skiba, 31, are Chicago residents who pleaded innocent last week for their multiple counts of conspiracy to commit burglary and grand theft.
“Coincidentally, they had flown into the area from Chicago, IL, for a court appearance in Santa Monica stemming from an earlier retail theft arrest,” said Los Angeles police Sgt. Robert Watt in a news release.
More than $20,000 worth of stolen Apple products were found at the time of the suspects’ arrest.
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A four-month investigation found that the theft ring targeted Apple stores in Manhattan Beach, Pasadena, the San Fernando Valley, and Orange County as well as Southland Best Buy, Costco, Microsoft, and Wal-Mart stores in California, according to CBS.
The group has allegedly hit stores in Colorado, Florida, and Washington as well.
Officials said that the shoplifters stole by leaving the store with electronics hidden in the women’s oversized handbags and then mailing the items to various places across the United States.
The suspects, who reportedly said that they committed the crimes in order to pay off a $2 million family debt, are currently held at the Los Angeles County Jail without bail under a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement hold.
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