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Cubans Raydel Amado Gines Prieto and Erisniel Melgarejo Rodríguez were arrested after stealing over $370,000 in merchandise from retail stores across several counties in western Florida, authorities reported this Tuesday.
Gines Prieto, 52 years old, and Melgarejo Rodríguez, 36, both residents of the city of St. Petersburg, are alleged to have committed more than 150 thefts in retail stores, and each faces two charges of organized retail theft, according to a statement from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE).
The Organized Crime Brigade in Retail Commerce of the FDLE initiated the investigation in December 2023, after asset protection representatives from a major retail company – whose name was not disclosed – reported two individuals for theft at stores in hardware stores across counties in western Florida.
The investigation revealed that the suspects were using multiple methods to steal merchandise, such as insufficient scanning of items at self-checkout, fraudulent returns, and leaving stores with shopping carts full of unpaid products.
The agents identified Gines Prieto and Melgarejo Rodríguez as the perpetrators of the thefts, which resulted in a loss of over $370,000 in stolen merchandise.
Subsequent investigations linked the couple to over 150 store thefts since August 2023.
On March 2, the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office arrested Melgarejo Rodríguez, in compliance with a court order from the FDLE, and he was taken to the county jail. At the time the arrest warrant for Gines Prieto was executed, the man was already in custody on unrelated charges, the notice specified.
The investigation remains active. The State Attorney General's Office is in charge of the case. "Both are now behind bars, and the prosecution team of Attorney General James Uthmeier will ensure they are held accountable," the FDLE emphasized on social media platform X.
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