SAN FRANCISCO (KNX) – On Monday, San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin said a 2 ½ year investigation into a series of thefts at Macy's led to a recovery of stolen property worth millions and multiple arrests warrants.
The investigation, named "Operation Focus Lens" led to the "uncovering of a major, organized retail theft ring with international ties", according to a news release. "Operation Focus Lens" stemmed from Operation Wrecking Ball, which looks in retail thefts. The operation is collaboration among the District Attorney's Office, the San Francisco Police Department, California Highway Patrol, the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and others.
Officials found $2 million in suspected stolen. They also indicted of two individuals, arrested two suspects, and released three arrest warrants for multiple charges, including organized retail theft, grand theft, and money laundering.
One of the suspects was identified as Rodolfo Castillo, who authorities accused of stealing over $7,500 worth of merchandise over the course of three different occasions.
NBC Bay Area said Castillo allegedly admitted to selling off the stolen items to a company called Camera Heaven. This led officials with District Attorney's Office and the San Francisco Police Department to further investigate the owners of Camera Heaven, David Tran and Yanxia Xie, and concluded that they were selling stolen goods overseas and through storefronts.
This led investigators to discover that Xie and Tran shipped some of the stolen items to another suspect, whom officials identified as Nate Pham.
The investigation also revealed anotherorganized retail theft operation occurring at a store called Fashion Exchange. Store owners Deanna Klinkovich and Floriya Pavlichenko were indicted by the D.A.
"My office is committed to combatting organized retail theft by targeting the source: the fencers who are profiting from the reselling of stolen goods. I am proud of our office's leadership in uncovering this global operation," said District Attorney Boudin. "I am also thankful to the many law enforcement agencies who partnered with us and helped us successfully recover stolen goods and identify individuals responsible for driving organized retail thefts in San Francisco."
