Southern California police have arrested 14 people they say were involved in a $10 million-plus retail theft ring targeting Home Depot in the largest such criminal organization targeting the store in the company’s history.
Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Ventura County Sheriff Jim Fryhoff described the group as “an elaborate network of thieves who were stealing from major retailers and reselling items for a cheaper price.”
“The crew wasn’t just grabbing random items,” he added. “They were highly organized, targeting Home Deport and focusing on expensive electrical components like breakers, dimmers, switches, and outlets.”
The theft ring was linked to some 600 thefts across 71 Home Depot locations in recent years causing estimated losses to the company exceeding $10 million.
“It was the most active I’ve ever seen — the amount of suspects, the sheer number of crimes,” Detective Kevin Alldredge of the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office told the VC Star. “From the time that we started investigating them to the time that we took them down, they never took a single day off.”
A core group of “boosters” would often hit all four Home Depot locations in Ventura County, pocketing between $6,000 and $10,000 in stolen merchandise, at each store.
Police searches uncovered an estimated $3.7 million in Home Depot property tied to the ring as well as $800,000 in laundered “dirty money.”
A Home Depot representative condemned the alleged thefts, saying at the press conference, they threatened customers and community members.
“Organized retail crime is theft motivated by greed, not necessity,” Darlene Hermosillo, Home Depot’s regional asset protection manager, said.
A total of 14 people have been arrested as part of the case against the group, which authorities call Operation Killswitch. Nine have been charged so far by the local district attorney’s office, officials said.
Police said the operation was centered around a man named David Ah, 59, who ran a storefront called ARIA Wholesale in Tarzana.
Ahl is accused of receiving stolen merchandise in trash bags or Home Depot boxes delivered to his home or business.
His brother-in-law is accused of selling stolen merchandise on eBay while his ex-wife and her boyfriend are accused of running a “nearly identical” theft ring.
Ahl faces 48 felony counts including conspiracy, organized retail theft, grand theft, receiving stolen property, and money laundering.
He has pleaded not guilty.
Ahl remains in custody at Ventura County Main Jail, where his bail has been set at $500,000, according to public records.
A conference for his case is planned for Wednesday.
It was not immediately clear if he has legal representation.
The other suspects in the theft ring also remain in custody with bail ranging from $250,000 to $500,000. If convicted, they are facing prison sentences ranging from four to 21 years, according to District Attorney Erik Nasarenko.
Police thanked the state for supporting their Organized Retail Theft Taskforce with a multi-year grant.
