Bonta touts arrests, charges in organized Bay Area retail theft case

Accountability was Attorney General Rob Bonta’s message during a press conference Friday afternoon in San Mateo County as he announced the sentencing of five defendants involved in what he called the largest organized retail theft bust in the state’s history, based on the complexity of the ring, the amount of merchandise stolen and the value of the goods.

The five defendants pleaded guilty to felony charges, including conspiracy to commit organized retail theft, receiving stolen property, money laundering and a special allegation of the aggravated white collar enhancement of over $500,000.

The charges arise from a scheme to resell goods stolen from targeted Bay Area retailers, including CVS, Target and Walgreens.

Law enforcement conducted a search of the defendant’s properties in September 2020 that resulted in the recovery of $8 million in stolen goods and $85,000 in cash.

“This type of activity is unacceptable. There will be consequences, there will be accountability. There will be arrests, prosecutions and convictions,” Bonta said in a press conference held in front of a CVS Pharmacy in Burlingham. “And this is not the only case we are working on. … There are others in the pipeline, and there will be more as we have more arrests and continue to build those cases.”

San Mateo County District Attorney Stephen Wagstaffe said in a statement, “The joint investigation and prosecution of these individuals show that the premeditated retail theft actions of criminal groups in multiple cities across Northern California is intolerable and will not be accepted.”

Lead defendant, Danny Louis Drago, was sentenced to six years in prison. The other defendants’ sentences vary from three years in prison to one month in jail with subsequent probation.

Although not directly related to recent, brazen retail thefts up and down the state, Bonta said the case is an example of the exact type of organized crime behind recent incidents.

On Thursday, Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore, alongside Mayor Eric Garcetti, announced 14 arrests related to 11 retail thefts that occurred between Nov. 18 and 28 that took place in L.A. County, including an attack on a Nordstrom department store in the Grove.

The suspects have been booked on a range of charges, including grand theft, according to Los Angeles Police Department Spokesman, Officer Drake Madison on Friday. The cases have since been passed on to District Attorney George Gascón for charging decisions.

In the press conference, Thursday Moore took issue with the county’s zero bail policy, implemented during the pandemic to reduce crowding in jails, stating the 14 suspects have been released as a result on little to no bail.

He and Garcetti stated concerns over suspects being released and reoffending as they awaited arraignment.

In response to inquiries on what charges the DA will be filing against these 14 suspects, Special Advisor Alex Bastian said in an emailed statement, “Our office has been collaborating with multiple law enforcement agencies and once all the evidence is gathered, we will review the cases to determine what criminal charges should be filed.”

“Our Organized Crime and Cyber Crime Divisions are involved because these cases often are interconnected and many have online components to them. These brazen acts hurt all of us: retailers, employees and customers alike. We will hold those responsible accountable,” he added.

Formal charges against the 14 suspects have yet to be announced by Gascón.

In response to a number of high profile retail thefts, Bay Area DAs announced the formation of a new alliance focused on combating organized retail robberies in conjunction with law enforcement and state agencies.

Participating DAs include Diana Becton of Contra Costa, Nancy O’Malley of Alameda, Tori Verber Salazar of San Joaquin, Chesa Boudin of San Francisco, Wagstaffe of San Mateo, Lori E. Frugoli of Marin and Jeff Rosen of Santa Clara Counties.

Last week, Boudin also announced he filed felony charges against 9 suspects in a Louis Vuitton robbery estimated to involve up to 40 people.

Similarly, Contra Costa District Attorney Diana Becton announced felony charges against a suspect believed to have been involved in a crime spree that targeted an Ace Hardware store. Philander Johnson is also involved in another pending shoplifting case from earlier this year, the DA said.