"Band of thieves" charged with returning stolen merchandise for cash at stores across Pennsylvania

Four men are facing charges after investigators said they ran an organized retail theft ring across Pennsylvania, stealing merchandise and returning it for cash.

The four men from New York targeted retailers like Kohl's, Target, Home Depot and Lowe's, attempting to make more than $20,000 worth of purchases with fake cash in 16 counties across the state, the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General said. 

Prosecutors said the four men — Fitzroy James, Fabian Coke, Gabriel Young and Christopher Nicholas — paid for goods with fake money and then returned them for real cash, netting at least $12,436 in profit. 

"This out-of-state band of thieves knowingly passed fake bills with a plan to return items for real cash — that is organized retail theft, pure and simple," Attorney General Dave Sunday said in a press release. "We collaborated with federal, state, and local partners to track this criminal activity and filed charges that will end this conduct."

The attorney general's office said the group frequented stores in counties like Allegheny, Bucks, Centre, Chester, Dauphin, Delaware, Lancaster, Montgomery and Northampton. They're suspected in similar crimes in several other states, the attorney general said.

In Pennsylvania, they're charged with felony counts of organized retail theft, dealing in proceeds of unlawful activity, conspiracy and related offenses. Efforts to take them into custody are ongoing, authorities said.

The U.S. Secret Service, Pennsylvania State Police, local police departments and loss prevention professionals at the targeted retailers are credited with helping in the investigation.