MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Pa. (KYW Newsradio) — Two brothers from Philadelphia have been arrested for their involvement in an organized retail theft ring.
Cuong Nam Ly, 33, and Chung Nam Ly, 31, were the ringleaders involved in a high-volume scheme that went on for months, according to the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office.
Starting in June 2022, investigators say the two brothers, two other adults, and two teenagers would buy items from Home Depot and Lowes and then put a higher-priced UPC code on the box.
The DA's Office says the six suspects would then return the items, like power tools, jump starters, and batteries to stores in Montgomery, Bucks, Philadelphia, Delaware, Luzerne, and Berks counties and get more money credited back to them because of the incorrect barcodes.
On some occasions, investigators say the group would also sell the stolen merchandise over Facebook Marketplace for cash.
In total, the DA’s office says the stores lost more than $200,000.
The brothers are facing more than 200 felony charges. Bail is set at $75,000