MICHIGAN, USA — Michigan’s attorney general's office says it's cracking down on organized retail crime in our state.
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel laid out a full list of Lululemon and Ulta locations that have been hit by this type of crime on Monday, adding that the Lululemon location in Grand Rapids is on the list.
The retailer, located in Breton Village Mall, sells high-end athletic clothing. Nessel says her office has been zeroing in on this type of organized retail crime this past year and has made three arrests so far.
The crime is like a flash mob- when a group of people walk into a store, grab several high-value items and run out to a getaway car.
Once they've gotten away, they then turn around and sell it.
The Grand Rapids police department says back in February, four suspects allegedly stole five thousand dollars’ worth of clothing before leaving the area.
But outside of the loss of the product, Nessel said this type of theft is also a major risk to the public.
“The theft defense were more than just wounds inflect inflicted to the ledgers of Lululemon and Ulta," said Nessel. "They put the public at risk. On many occasions, they barreled over customers as they frantically jostled back out of exits. They were confrontational. When they were approached by retail workers. They lead police in active pursuits across public roadways. And they ultimately contributed materially to the dark ecosystem of criminality supported and fostered by the black-market proliferation of organized retail crime merchandise."
But it's not just retailers that are impacted, Nessel said crimes like these also impact the consumer.
“It's not just a matter of these businesses writing off these losses, remember, those losses get passed along to the consumer," Nessel explained. "So this isn't just a regular criminal law issue. It also is a consumer protection issue, because the more that we can ensure that, you know, people are being held accountable, people know they're going to be held accountable, and that hopefully there'll be fewer of these incidences occurring, the less consumers are going to have to pay."
She said that they are still investigating these crimes and more people could be charged.
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