New York Man Admits Fencing $4.4M in Stolen Jewelry from Mall Stores and Kiosks Across the U.S.
A 55-year-old Brooklyn man, Salim Sakal, pleaded guilty in federal court to conspiracy to buy, receive, and sell jewelry stolen from mall-based stores and kiosks across multiple states, in a scheme tied to organized theft ring burglaries. Between May 2023 and April 2024, members of the theft ring burglarized jewelry stores and kiosks in at least seven states, resulting in losses exceeding $4.4 million. Sakal operated a jewelry business that accepted stolen merchandise at below-market prices and sold it onward, often to buyers who melted down the gold. He faces up to five years in prison and has agreed to pay more than $2.4 million in restitution, with sentencing set for April 2026.
4 arrested in metro-wide retailer scam worth thousands
Lawrence, Kansas, police arrested four men after a sophisticated retail scam netted more than $6,000 in cash and merchandise across the Kansas City metro. According to investigators, the suspects used fraudulent payment cards with deceptive instructions to trick cashiers into opening cash drawers without real payment, making the transactions appear successful. The scam spanned multiple store visits, and officers tracked the group’s vehicle to a traffic stop on Interstate 70, where they recovered cash, merchandise, and suspicious receipts. The arrests followed a store asset manager recognizing the scam pattern and alerting law enforcement, prompting a coordinated response with the Kansas Highway Patrol.
Police officers shoot and kill man inside Home Depot
Police in James City County, Virginia, fatally shot a man during an incident at the Home Depot in York County on January 28, authorities reported. The shooting occurred after officers responded to a call involving a suspicious individual inside the store, though specific details about the events leading up to the use of deadly force were limited in the initial report. Law enforcement indicated that the situation escalated quickly, resulting in the man’s death at the scene, and no officers were reported injured. The Virginia State Police are assisting with the investigation to determine the full circumstances surrounding the encounter.
Attorney General Mayes Announces Sentencing in $10 Million Organized Retail Theft and Trafficking Enterprise
The Arizona Attorney General’s office announced the sentencing of Adam Polansky for his role in a larger organized retail theft and trafficking enterprise that moved about $10 million in stolen merchandise across the Phoenix area over several years. Polansky pleaded guilty to organized retail theft and trafficking in stolen property and was sentenced to six years in the Arizona Department of Corrections and ordered to pay restitution to victims. According to prosecutors, Arizona AG special agents and retail loss prevention partners identified Polansky as a booster in the enterprise, linking him to dozens of known thefts. Attorney General Kris Mayes emphasized that the case reflects Arizona’s commitment to holding organized retail crime offenders accountable and protecting local retailers, consumers, and communities.
6 retail policy priorities for 2026
The National Retail Federation (NRF) released its “Top Policy Priorities for 2026,” focusing on key legislative and regulatory issues expected to impact the retail industry in the coming year. Among the priorities are efforts to address supply chain resilience, workforce development, cybersecurity, and consumer data protection, which are critical to maintaining a competitive retail environment. The NRF also emphasized the importance of fair and efficient tax policies, as well as reforms to criminal justice and retail crime laws to enhance public safety and reduce theft and fraud. By outlining these priorities, NRF aims to guide federal policymakers toward solutions that support economic growth and protect both retailers and consumers.
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Bankrupt Restaurant Chain's CEO Looted Funds For Trips, Jets, Lenders Allege
A group of lenders to bankrupt dining chain FAT Brands Inc. has alleged that the company's chief executive officer "looted" the business to fund vacations, jewelry and private jets.
Creditors who own most of the $1.2 billion FAT Brands raised in whole-business securitization accused Andrew Wiederhorn in a Tuesday court filing of misappropriating lenders' cash. The company allegedly made more than $200 million in "improper payments" before filing Chapter 11 earlier this week, lenders claimed, citing dividends and bonuses to corporate insiders as well as costs associated with defending Wiederhorn in litigation.
Man arrested for shoplifting , slashing at Mount Hope grocery store
Police say Heron slashed the man in the hand and tried to run away.
A man has been arrested for a shoplifting incident that turned into a slashing at a Mount Hope grocery store.
Police say Michael Heron, 27, entered the Key Food supermarket on Walton Avenue just after 8:30 p.m. Heron started removing items when he got into a fight with a 40-year-old man. Police say Heron slashed the man in the hand and tried to run away.
He was later arrested and charged with robbery.
Security and Good Samaritan Subdue Gun Toting Shoplifter at Walmart
A Good Samaritan and an IPS Security Guard got into a physical altercation at a Walmart located at 2266 Wyoming Blvd NE. The incident happened when they subdued 21-year-old Anthony Miller of Albuquerque. Thats when he tried to leave the store with $26.84 worth of merchandise.
According to a criminal complaint, the security person approached Miller and stated, “just put the stuff down and you can leave.” Miller apparently didn’t wanna just leave without his ill gotten goods so he pushed security and a physical altercation happened. Miller shouted “I’m not going back to jail.“
How to Upgrade Your Surveillance System, Save on Installation Costs, and Use Existing Security Cameras
A video surveillance solution is an essential piece of security for nearly every business.
Unfortunately, these systems are also costly and can quickly become outdated as the latest hardware and software becomes available. In some cases, it might seem easier to delay upgrades due to the time and cost associated, instead staying with your existing legacy system.
However, these systems can have multiple vulnerabilities, including being prone to system failures, which may leave you without security in critical moments. Not only that, but it can cost your team valuable time due to managing a clunky, outdated solution.
To upgrade your solution while limiting the costs and time associated, you might consider an open platform that can work with your existing devices or security systems. By being able to leverage some of the existing infrastructure, your business can avoid starting from scratch every time you want to upgrade your surveillance. Not only does this reduce the cost and time required to upgrade a system, but it allows you to more easily scale your security as your business grows, and unlocks new avenues for future innovation.
In this article, we’ll explore how retrofit options allow you to leverage existing security infrastructure while upgrading your surveillance solution.
Consumers Reluctant to Shop at Stores That Don't Take Security Seriously
While it's nearly impossible for retail organizations to avoid incidents these days, implementing effective security protocols should be a top priority, as consumers become more security-savvy.
Threat actors target the retail sector because shops hold highly coveted information, like financial and purchasing history, that can be further abused in fraud scams. And unlike more regulated sectors such as energy or financial services, that information may not be as tightly protected, especially among small mom-and-pops with fewer resources.
OSHA’s Severe Violator Enforcement Directive Is In Effect
The agency announced that it was implementing the program to focus on employers who continually disregard their legal obligations to protect their workers.
OSHA’s SVEP focuses enforcement efforts on employers who willfully and repeatedly endanger workers by exposing them to serious hazards. The directive establishes procedures and enforcement actions for the severe violator program, including increased inspections, such as mandatory follow-up inspections of a workplace found in violation and inspections of other worksites of the same company where similar hazards or deficiencies may be present.
Retailers examine options for on-AI retail
Big retailers are committing more heavily to agentic AI-led commerce, and accepting some loss of customer proximity and data control in the process.
As reported by Retail Dive, the opening weeks of 2026 have seen Etsy, Target and Walmart push product ranges onto third-party AI platforms, forming new partnerships with Google’s Gemini and Microsoft’s Copilot, after last year’s collaborations with OpenAI’s ChatGPT. These let consumers purchase goods inside the AI’s conversation interface.
Amazon and Walmart have been investing in their own consumer-facing AI assistants, Rufus and Sparky respectively to change how shoppers interact with their brands.
Move past single-platform limits - harness seamless layers of intelligence
If you’re trying to make sense of how AI and computer vision actually fit into a layered loss prevention ecosystem, this piece from Gatekeeper Systems is worth a read.
Instead of pitching a single “silver bullet,” it breaks down how technologies like FaceFirst are designed to complement existing tools, from video analytics to access control, so retailers get more from what they already have. The article focuses on orchestration over replacement, offering a practical framework for building a smarter, more connected LP ecosystem.
School principal accused of shoplifting from Walmart using 'stacking' method at self-checkout
An assistant school principal was arrested in Georgia after she allegedly stole nearly $1,000 from a Walmart by using the 'stacking' method at the self-checkout line.
Courtney Janell Shaw, 47, was taken into custody on Monday by the Cherokee Sheriff's Office after she allegedly stole 98 items from the store over a two-month period, police said.
Shaw, the assistant principal at Free Home Elementary School, allegedly nabbed $943.97 between November 1 and December 31 by placing multiple unknown items on top of each other and only scanning one time before leaving the store.
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