Theft ring uncovered at Phila. area Nordstrom
The three were hired to prevent theft at the Nordstrom store in King of Prussia. This week, they were arrested and charged - with theft.
The three were hired to prevent theft at the Nordstrom store in King of Prussia. This week, they were arrested and charged - with theft.
Three security employees and a "secret shopper" have been charged as part of an organized retail-theft ring at Nordstrom. Police say a former store security manager, initially asked to look into the thefts of women's clothing, handbags, jewelry and other accessories, allegedly was part of the ring.
"There were two different schemes," said Detective David Gershanick, of the Upper Merion Police Department. He estimated the loss of stolen merchandise from the store could exceed $62,000.
Gershanick said the thefts began in May when more than $26,000 in merchandise that was supposed to be shipped directly to customers was taken from the store's mailroom. The items were exchanged at the store and at Nordstrom stores in Maryland and New Jersey for cash, gift cards, or other merchandise.
Gershanick said that operation stopped over the summer, when the group began to shoplift directly from the Nordstrom in King of Prussia.
Arrested were former Nordstrom loss-prevention manager Rozita Davani, 26, of Wyncote; and Marguerite Willis, 31, of Philadelphia, and Athina Theodoridis, 27, of Bethesda, Md., both former loss-prevention agents for the store. Another former Nordstrom employee is named as a person of interest, according to police.
The store had asked Davani to look into the mailroom thefts as part of her duties. Police said she worked for Nordstrom for about eight years. Davani and Theodoridis once worked together at a Nordstrom store in Maryland.
Shavon Keith, 26, of Rockville, Md., who police say was a secret shopper, was arrested. Secret shoppers usually provide customer-satisfaction feedback to the company.
The secret-shopper program "is not a formal program of Nordstrom that I am aware of," said Brooke White, a Nordstrom spokeswoman.
Jamilia Love and Taaimah Crandall, both 21 and from Philadelphia, also were arrested.
All were charged with retail theft, receiving stolen property, conspiracy, and related crimes.
White said loss-prevention agents for Nordstrom work undercover and monitor video surveillance cameras. Police said on a number of occasions, some of the refunds were made in view of security cameras.
Love and Crandall provided their Pennsylvania driver's licenses as identification when returning items. Those numbers were made available to police for their investigation.
According to court documents, just after 6 p.m. Sunday, police watched as Davani, Theodoridis, Keith and an unidentified male left Davani's car parked in the garage outside the Nordstrom and entered the store. A short time later, Love, Crandall and Davani returned with large bags of merchandise and put them in the car's trunk, then returned to the store.
Inside, Nordstrom security watched through surveillance cameras as Keith, Theodoridis and Davani put large amounts of merchandise into bags, then left the store.
Crandall and Love left the mall in a car driven by Willis, and with the allegedly stolen items, according to court documents. Both cars were stopped by police, and the arrests were made.
Police said they recovered $16,000 in merchandise from the cars and another $20,000 in merchandise from Davani's residence.
White said the four employees involved in the case had been terminated.
