Fashion model stole $1M in designer goods from ritzy SoHo boutique in movie-like heist: police
A 21-year-old fashion model, identified as Abdallah Diaby, was arrested in connection with a dramatic luxury goods heist in SoHo that reportedly netted over $1 million in high-end designer merchandise. The early-morning burglary at an upscale boutique involved four masked suspects who used construction gear and scaffolding to enter the store and quickly load up on coveted brands like St. Laurent and Chrome Hearts before dropping the loot to a waiting getaway vehicle. Security footage captured the entire operation, which lasted only minutes, and tied Diaby to the crime.
Deputy shoots, kills armed shoplifting suspect inside store
A shooting involving an off-duty law enforcement officer occurred Thursday evening inside a Walmart at the Poinciana Town Center in Kissimmee, according to the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies responded after reports that three men allegedly shoplifting inside the store were confronted, with one suspect reportedly armed and fleeing through the store. The deputy, working off-duty as part of store security, fired at the armed suspect, striking him inside the store as the other two suspects fled the scene. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement has taken over the investigation, and no other injuries have been reported as authorities continue searching for the remaining suspects.
Study: Returns, shrink totaled nearly $800B in 2025
A new industry study estimates that return-related shrink — losses tied to returns, exchanges, fraud, and abuse — reached nearly $800 billion across the global retail sector in 2025. The report highlights that while returns are a common part of modern shopping, they present a massive cost center that spans logistics, fraud risk, processing inefficiencies, and lost inventory value. Retailers are increasingly focused on tightening returns policies and investing in technology and analytics to better manage the growing impact of this category of shrink.
The CISO view of fraud risk across the retail payment ecosystem
Paul Suarez, the Chief Financial Officer of a regional convenience store operator, has been charged in connection with an alleged payment fraud scheme that targeted multiple Casey’s locations. Prosecutors claim Suarez used his financial role to manipulate payment systems for personal gain, creating fraudulent transactions that benefited him. The case underscores ongoing vulnerabilities in retail payment processes, especially when trusted insiders may have access to both systems and controls. Law enforcement and regulators are now pursuing charges as part of broader efforts to deter internal fraud in retail chains.
MDSO: Jewelry store owner busted with over $1.8 million of counterfeit goods
Authorities in South Florida have arrested the owner of an upscale jewelry store after seizing more than $1.8 million worth of counterfeit luxury products from his business and storage locations. Investigators say the items — including high-end designer watches and jewelry — were determined to be fake and being sold or represented as authentic to unsuspecting customers. The bust is part of a larger crackdown on counterfeit goods that harm consumers and legitimate brands alike. Law enforcement officials have charged the owner with multiple offenses related to trafficking in counterfeit merchandise and are continuing their investigation.
He Gets On Base.
Amber Bradley
Editor-in-Chief | TalkLPnews
[email protected]
If you read last week’s column, you know I’m on a movie kick – so let’s let it ride.
Another movie that I LOVE is the 2011 film starring Brad Pitt as Oakland A's GM Billy Beane called Moneyball. It’s a leadership and problem-solving movie disguised as a baseball movie (and it’s a pretty great baseball movie too). I watch it almost every time I’m on a plane these days — and it has everything to do with how we approach problems in loss prevention (and in life).
The premise is simple: Beane couldn't compete with the big-budget teams. So instead of playing by the same rules and losing, he flipped the entire question. He stopped asking "why can't we win" and started asking "how can we win differently."
Oakland’s scouts were drowning in convention. They were evaluating players on looks, feel, history, and gut instinct – even how ugly their girlfriends were— the way it had always been done. Then a young Yale economics grad named Peter Brand walks in and says the quiet part out loud: "He gets on base." That's it. That's the whole idea. Stop overcomplicating it.
Sound familiar? How many times have you sat in a meeting where the team spent 45 minutes explaining why something won't work — budget constraints, leadership buy-in, legacy systems, vendor limitations — instead of 10 minutes asking how it might? We are an industry of investigators, which means we're trained to find the problem.
But finding the problem and solving the problem are two very different disciplines.
Moneyball (2011). © 2011 Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Courtesy of Columbia Pictures.
Ask yourself:
When was the last time you let a trusted advisor — a solution provider, a colleague, even someone on your team — finish a sentence about a different approach without mentally cataloging the reasons it wouldn't fly in your organization?
The Oakland A's didn't have the money. They couldn't out-resource the Yankees. What they had was a willingness to listen to someone who saw the game differently and the courage to act on it despite enormous resistance. Billy Beane's own scouts thought he'd lost his mind. The answer was right in front of everyone — they just weren't asking the right question.
The loss prevention industry is in the middle of its own Moneyball moment. Between AI, shrink complexity, labor challenges, and tighter budgets, the old playbook isn't going to get us where we need to go. The teams that win in 2026 and beyond will be the ones willing to flip the question — from "why we can't" to "how we can." They'll be the ones who actually listen when someone in the room — or across the table — says something that makes them a little uncomfortable because it's different.
Sometimes the answer is right in front of you. Sometimes it sounds less like a strategy and more like a simple truth that cuts through the noise.
He gets on base. What's your version of that? Let us know HERE
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Milwaukee Big-Box Bandits Hit With Felony Raps In $50K Theft Spree
Prosecutors say a crew of five Milwaukee men turned big-box stores into their personal shopping grounds, walking out with more than $50,000 in merchandise in what they describe as an organized retail-theft ring.
One of the accused appeared in Milwaukee court this week. A judge set his cash bond at $20,000 and scheduled a preliminary hearing. Authorities say the group is linked to dozens of felony counts tied to thefts at Target, Home Depot and Lowe’s locations across the city. At least one other man has already been arraigned, while several more suspects are still wanted on outstanding warrants.
Auburn Police arrest 10 during retail theft enforcement ‘blitz’
The Auburn Police Department arrested 10 individuals during a recent retail theft emphasis operation, commonly referred to as a “blitz,” conducted in partnership with Fred Meyer Loss Prevention.
According to the Auburn Police Department, patrol officers, the Community Response Team and detectives took part in the focused operation aimed at addressing rising retail theft.
“While shoplifting is often viewed as a petty crime, retail theft has skyrocketed, and many retailers in the region have been forced to shut down,” police said in a statement.
Postal Bulletin highlights how fraudsters use artificial intelligence
The latest edition of the Postal Bulletin highlights how scammers are increasingly using artificial intelligence tools to facilitate fraud against individuals and retailers.
According to the bulletin, fraudsters are leveraging AI-generated content and automation to make their schemes more convincing, enabling them to trick victims with greater efficiency and sophistication. The update underscores that AI isn’t just a technological boon — it’s also being exploited to scale up deceptive tactics that can lead to financial loss and compromised accounts.
A Smarter Way to Archive Video on March Networks Cloud Storage
At Intersec Dubai 2026, March Networks unveiled a major step forward in how organizations store, manage, and retain video. The launch of March Networks’ new Cloud Storage, now available globally, gives customers greater flexibility in how they manage video retention while controlling long-term storage costs.
First introduced in collaboration with Amazon Web Services (AWS) in December, this release builds on March Networks’ existing cloud capabilities and expands the options available to customers who want to retain video longer at an affordable price without continually expanding local infrastructure.
Why Video Storage Strategies Are Evolving
Across industries such as banking, retail, and quick service restaurants, video retention requirements continue to grow. Video is commonly required for compliance, investigations, audits, and personal injury claims. At the same time, access patterns vary, with recent footage accessed frequently, and older video reviewed far less often.
Many organizations count upon on-premise storage to support immediate access to recent video and day-to-day operations. As retention periods extend into months or years, customers are increasingly looking for additional ways to manage long-term storage efficiently, especially in multi-site environments with large camera counts.
Kent robots get smarter as technology evolves at Amazon
The robots inside Amazon's Kent Fulfillment Center are getting smarter — and the company is pressing forward with new technology that is raising familiar questions about the future of work.
More than 3,000 robots navigate the four-story building on 64th Avenue South, guided by new algorithms that are making them faster and more efficient.
"It's always going to get better, like especially with AI now," said Manny Thompson, an amnesty technician at the facility.
Organized crime suspects arrested at Target by constable deputies
Two women were arrested for organized retail theft after allegedly stealing merchandise from a Target store, according to Constable Mark Herman's Office.
On February 18, 2026, deputies responded to the Target located at 19511 North Freeway regarding a theft incident. The investigation revealed that the suspects, Chelsea LaFleur and Johnae Limbrick, stole approximately $552 worth of merchandise and exited the store without paying.
Cart of Stolen Goods Sparks $60K Bond Shock
wo Maryland residents are charged with felony theft and drug offenses after an alleged shoplifting attempt Wednesday afternoon at a Newark sporting goods store, according to Delaware State Police.
Troopers said they responded at approximately 4 p.m. February 18 to Dick’s Sporting Goods at 100 Center Drive for a report of shoplifting in progress.
According to police, 47-year-old Ron Wardlaw and 43-year-old Lashonda Rooks, both of Baltimore, allegedly selected more than $3,300 in merchandise.
This job helps REI succeed by supporting the co-op’s goals through fraud prevention, loss prevention, and risk management in all sales and supply chain channels. The Director of AP, Omni-Channel Fraud & Supply Chain manages the Omni-Channel Fraud team, Loss Analytics, and Supply Chain AP teams. The role focuses on reducing fraud risk, protecting inventory and financial assets, and improving support for replenishment and fulfillment operations.
This manager works with partners in Retail, Digital, Supply Chain, Legal, Finance, Technology, and Customer Support. The goal is to design and carry out strategies that prevent losses, enhance operations, and build member and customer trust. Models and acts in line with REI’s values and mission.
Where real theft prevention begins
Retailers have spent years investing in gates and guards to combat pushout theft, but visibility alone doesn’t equal prevention. In a 2025 national grocer test, nearly half of pushout attempts simply bypassed entrance gates, while others flowed through self-checkout and traditional registers with ease. Offenders adapted quickly, exposing the limits of high-friction controls that depend on timing, attention, and compliance.
Purchek®, powered by SmartWheel® technology, shifted the strategy from optics to outcomes by acting directly on cart behavior—automatically locking carts with unpaid merchandise at defined boundaries.
Missoula Robber Steals Soda, Pepper-Sprays Security Guard
a Missoula Police Department Officer responded to the Town Pump for a report of a robbery. The reporting party called 911 to report that an on-scene security guard had been maced by a shoplifter, as the shoplifter was attempting to leave the scene. While en route, the officer was informed that the individual deploying the mace, later identified as David Lawson, had left the scene in a blue passenger car.
Other officers began searching for Lawson and engaged their overhead lights and conducted a traffic stop of the vehicle. Lawson was then placed into handcuffs and secured in a patrol vehicle.
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