2 convicted in jewelry thefts at JCPenney, Sam's Club stores across East Bay, California
OAKLAND (CBS SF) -- Two South Bay residents characterized as the leaders of an organized retail crime ring pleaded guilty following a multi-agency investigation and were sentenced to 16 months in prison, California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced Friday.
The two defendants, Anton Salaam of Mountain View and Marion Tilley of Campbell, along with two other suspects stole jewelry from multiple JCPenney and Sam's Club stores between September 2020 and February 2021, resulting in $1 million in losses to the stores, according to the attorney general's office.
Salaam pleaded guilty in March 2 to organized retail theft and was sentenced on March 25. He was originally arrested in Mountain View in September 2021. Tilley was serving time in a separate case in Arizona and pleaded guilty in January. He will serve his sentence in California after he serves his sentence in Arizona, the attorney general's office said.
The two other suspects, identified in charging documents as Shamelia Clay of Campbell and Rico Raushing of Fresno, also face charges of organized retail theft. Clay also faces a child endangerment for allegedly having illegal assault weapon in the presence of the her nine-year-old child.
The group broke into JCPenney and Sam's Club stores in in locations throughout the state in Contra Costa, Fresno, Kern, Kings, Los Angeles, Placer, Sacramento, San Bernardino, and Tulare counties, breaking into the stores at night when the stores were closed to steal from the jewelry displays, Bonta said.
Officers found evidence of the thefts in the defendants' homes, including jewelry and cases used for sale. It was further alleged that the suspects were stealing the items to sell, exchange, or return them for value.
During a press conference Friday at the California Highway Patrol office in Oakland, Bonta said the 16-month prison term was appropriate in this particular case as the circumstances were different from other high-profile cases involving smash-and-grab heists while businesses were open and employees and bystanders were put at risk.
"All the evidence shows that the way to deter crime is for those who seek to commit crime to know that they will be arrested if they commit the crime," said Bonta. They have been arrested. They have been convicted to felony convictions consistent with the activity that they committed."
The arrests and convictions resulted from a two-year investigation led by the CHP's Organized Retail Crime Task Force as well as assistance from the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, and the police departments from Bakersfield, Chino, Citrus Heights, Folsom, Hanford, Fresno, Roseville, Visalia, and Bullhead City, Arizona.
Bonta appeared with CHP Assistant Chief Steve Ramos at the press conference to announce the convictions Friday. Ramos said since 2019, the CHP Organized Crime Task Force has participated in 1,031 investigations resulting in 449 arrests, recovering $21 million worth of merchandise.
Ramos urged witnesses to retail theft to report the crimes but think about safety first.
"If you do encounter or witness a crime of this nature dealing with organized retail theft, please, please be a great witness," said Ramos. "Do not engage the suspect, and reach out and call 911."
During the press conference, Bonta also announced the launch of an online portal for the public to submit complaints and tips about retail theft at oag.ca.gov/retail-theft.
Organized retail theft incidents may also be reported to the CHP online at chp.ca.gov/notify-chp/organized-retail-theft-program.
