SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Crimes Against Statewide Economy Strike Force (CASE) arrested a guy on Monday who is suspected of stealing from stores on a large scale.
The Utah Attorney General’s Office says Manuel Gonzalez is being charged with theft after more than $82,000 worth of Home Depot items were found in his hotel room and van. Several Home Depot shops across the state say he stole goods from them.
The press statement said, “Mr. Gonzalez seems to have been traveling around the country taking part in organized retail theft with the plan of selling the stolen home goods again.”
Attorney General Sean Reyes said that the strike team was created in 2020 because of a rise in organized retail crime brought on by “massive shoplifting organizations” that steal tens of billions of dollars every year. Reyes said Gonzalez’s arrest was a “win for Utah and nearby states.”
Reyes said, “I am so proud of our CASE investigation team, which is led by Supervising Special Agent James Russell.” “We are happy to work with the Department of Public Safety and other agencies from across Utah that are part of the CASE Strike Force.”
The office of the attorney general said that the strike force’s job is to “fight traveling organized retail theft gangs that target businesses and then resell stolen goods.”
Reyes said that the Attorney General’s Office worked with police from Taylorsville, West Jordan, Orem, American Fork, and the State Bureau of Investigators. He said that officers from Home Depot, Target, Kohl’s, Lowes, and Ulta Beauty are all working with the police to stop organized theft.
He was taken to the Salt Lake County Jail.
Source: Man accused of stealing $82k from Home Depot arrested by Utah strike force
