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Torrance Police Department
Police arrested four individuals from the Chicago area in Southern California as part of an investigation involving about $3 million worth of stolen merchandise.
A four-month investigation into a retail theft ring that targeted businesses in four states led authorities to arrest four people who described themselves as a "gypsy family" from Chicago that was attempting to pay off a debt.
The group is behind an estimated $3 million in property theft from retail stores, including Apple, Best Buy, Costco, Microsoft, PetSmart, Sams Club, Sports Authority and Wal-Mart since 2009, according to the Torrance Police Department.
The thieves — they often hid items in oversized clothes then mailed the property to out-of-state locations -- told investigators they took the merchandise to pay a $2 million family debt incurred years earlier.
"At first look, the thefts appeared as singular crimes that occur every day to the retail industry, but when thoroughly analyzed, investigators were able to uncover the magnitude of the crimes being committed by this group," Torrance police said in a statement. "Investigators are optimistic that this arrest will lead to additional evidence in this ongoing investigation."
The four suspects were arrested Thursday when they were located in Hawthorne. The subjects had just arrived in Southern California from Chicago for a court appearance in Santa Monica that stemmed from an earlier retail theft arrest.
During a surveillance operation, the suspects took items from Apple stores and attempted to mail the property out of the state, according to investigators. More than $20,000 worth of Apple items was recovered during the surveillance operation, Torrance police said.
Police identified the suspects as Ausra Bauzinskaite, 34; Adeliya Nassybullina, 30; Lukasz Karasinski, 37; and Przemyslaw Skiba, 31, all of Chicago. The suspects will face charges involving multiple counts of conspiracy to commit commercial burglary and grand theft.
The four might be connected to 17 additional commercial burglaries in Los Angeles and Orange counties, according to police. They are believed to be behind additional thefts in Colorado, Washington and Florida.
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Didn't quite grasp the whole story here...were these people bankers, or lawyers, health care executives or funeral directors?
No none of them but just doing the same thing outside of laws. Ever look at someone and just know they're guilty?
They are innocent until proven guilty. These people have suffered!
"Gypsy, tramps, and thieves," they'd hear it from the people of the town. They'd call them "Gypsies, tramps, and thieves."
But every night all the men would come around
And lay their money down
For Iphones most likely
I am going to turn that in a song...i'll be rich
Not sure why this is even a story. Lazy liberals on government entitlement programs have been stealing from American taxpayers for decades and we don't arrest them or even write articles about it.
Many years ago....I rented Apartments to Gypsies......in Long Beach, California. They paid their rent o.k. .......But, when they left, they took with them....MY CURTAINS, LIGHT BULBS, FURNITURE, TOILET SEATS, .........ANYTHING REMOVABLE from my Apartments. IF they could "take" my Apartments with them....They PROBABLY would have done THAT.......too.
I can NOW understand.....WHY.....HITLER.....wanted to "do away" with them.
Discrimination against the Gypsies! They have as much right to steal as any other ethnicity! Why is it gwaddammit!, that only wall street gets heaps of praise when It's people steals?
Jean-Just look at you. You are butt ugly. there is no other way to describe it.
Most stores have pretty good security. It's surprising to me how much they stole and are just now getting caught. Between cameras and detectors at the entrance I wonder how they could get that much out the front doors.
$3 Million Bucks - for a couple of years work. Hey - who says crime doesn't pay?
But I am perplexed... if they took $3 million in goods, why would they care about repaying the 2 million debt - unless of course if that debt was held by some rather brutal drug lord. Then default would not be an option.
Gypsies - classy in Europe, classy in the US.
PeteMT if you knew the history of Gypsies, perhaps you would open your mind. We are an ethnic racial group from India. We were kidnapped out of India, 1,000 years ago and sold into slavery. Today, we are not allowed to send our children to public school or be employed in many parts of Europe. All people will steal if they are starving.
Interesting. Are these stores profiting so much that security is not much of an issue?
It seems very odd that this group was able to steal 3 million dollars worth of merchandise without getting caught sooner. Was the merchandise in boxes? How did they get access to it if it wasn't a display model (stores often lock expensive things away)? 3 million is nothing to scoff at if they managed that in just a couple of years.
I wonder if they were actually paying down the debt, and if so, how much and to who?
Any relation to the Kardashian clan of gypsies? It seems none of them have 'real jobs' either, but they always seem to have plenty of cash to throw around.
Are they really gypsies? Or is this a tag attached to a bunch of thieves. I'm not defending one group or another, but labeling often confuses issues.
Either way, we don't need more thieves, and they should be held accountable to the law. What a bunch of losers. I get so tired of people blaming others for their own problems, and making others pay for them.
If they stole $3 million worth of goods, and only owed $2 million, I suppose they were going to give the excess back, right? (/sarc). (Had to remember to include the sarcasm tag. Too many on these boards don't get sarcasm.)
I'm glad they caught this theft ring, only 100,000 more theft rings to be caught! Such Losers!
Gypsies are the pariah of society. They steal, cheat and lie about everything. They usually live in very expensive homes and drive very expensive cars. All of these without even having a regular job. Their job is to steal. Everybody in the family is taught how to steal, including the children. Gypsies usually takes pre-planned family trips to different states where the whole family engages in heavy stealing to replenish their bank accounts, to sharpen their skills and to train the youngsters.
Yup. I couldn't have said it better.
I can remember them running slimy used car lots in the crummy part of town, ripping off unsuspecting consumers.
They would eat by rummaging through trash cans at fast food places for receipts, and then come inside and claim that they were shorted most of "their" order.
Shop lifters on a biblical scale.
Thieving is a badge of honor to Gypsies, passed down from generation to generation. Even the little kids are incredibly rude and pushy.
Many eclipses ago, I witnessed a round-up of Gypsies outside a huge retailer in Eastern Europe, can't tell which country as I wasn't supposed to be there. Anyhow, the cops stripped all nine Gypsies down naked in an alley. It's amazing at how much merchandise they carried out the doors! About thirty wallets piled and double that in jewelry. The oldest was a woman in her sixties, the youngest a boy in his early teens. You'd all be surprised at what they were able to insert inside their orifices! Large rental truck pulls up, six guys in yellow Tyvek suits zip-tied the hands and loaded up the naked crooks (two women) into the back of the truck. Tons of cursing! As the truck leaves at least a dozen gunshots are heard from inside while the cops return property to the store and customers. WOW!! That's how they were dealt with in that region of Europe. Not a very well liked group of folks! In Cyprus I witnessed a mid-sized sledge hammer put twice to the top of both hands of pick-pocketing Gypsies by undercover cops. Male, female, kid, didn't matter over there. YIKES!! Tourism was precious then and cops protected it! Bosnia was the worst. They did it all! Wouldn't want to be a Gypsy caught crookin' there! I'd rather be an Israeli in Saudi instead!
@ Cruddola I'm almost positive it was Romania ,you should see their houses they build and the luxury they live in those mansions ,they bought one apt in those mansions and than they force other people to move out by peeing an decaf. in front of neighbors doors ,so they can force them to move out (sell at low price just to escape the nightmare ) gypsies turned around and buy those houses .Remodeled at the unimaginable expensive style and just despite the working class with their attitude,because they are protected by EU under discriminatory law .We Romanians can't even call them gypsies .EU named them ROMY so they can be related to the nationals Romanians ,that is why most of the country youth left the country due to the shame they brought to the Romanians .Corrupt government ask people just to ignore them (meaning to put up and shut up ).This are Madonna's favorites she had insulted Romanians at her concert (after they bought her expensive tickets ) by saying that why gypsies are discriminated .
We are not called Romy, we are called Romani or Romany because in our language Rom means man. We don't give a hoot about being connected to Romanian people. Please the country that descriminates against us the most is certainly not a country or a people we are jealous of.
Read the book PARIAH SYNDROME by Ian Hancock.
Some of us are Republicans!!
(......................................hee hee)
Gypsies, tramps and thieves...
Hey LET THEM ALL GO LIVE WITH MANYANGO . They look they would fit right in , Another Minority who is to blind to see this situation for what it is . Gypsies have been known for years to be liers and thieves . Its part of their culture . Just like some other minorities , race has nothing to do with it . I am part minority . I grew up in a mixed minority community . Some were hardworking honest people others were the scum of the earth. Besides the white man is one of the biggest creative and educated thieves. Who uses the courts and propaganda to take from others . Just ask any NATIVE AMERICAN OR AFRICAN AMERICAN in this country.
Now I know how they pay for " My Big Fat Gysy Wedding " As seen on TV
Should have used some of that cash for a makeover.
I am amazed at how many people feel so free to leave racist comments. What about innocent until proven guilty??? It is true that some Gypsies do steal, so do some Germans, some English, some Swede's and so on. Most Gypsies work very hard to blend in if they are allowed to. In many European countries Gypsies are not allowed to educate their children in public school. When they are able to send the children to school, the children are segregated and get fewer resources. At the same time, many Gypsies are not allowed to be legally employed. Most people will steal if they are hungry. In addition, most Gypsies, who prefer to be called Rromani have suffered a great deal under prolonged slavery and racism. We (yes we) were kidnapped out of India, 1,000 years ago and sold into slavery. Because we refused to give up our culture and our language many Europeans hated us and forced us to become nomadic people, never allowed to stay in one place. Never allowed to make an honest living. It is so easy to blame the victim for the hate we dish out and force feed them. How shameful. The one's who left racist comments, your karma is that you have to live in your own skin. Enjoy living with yourself.
I am amazed at how many people feel so free to leave racist comments. What about innocent until proven guilty??? It is true that some Gypsies do steal, so do some Germans, some English, some Swede's and so on. Most Gypsies work very hard to blend in if they are allowed to. In many European countries Gypsies are not allowed to educate their children in public school. When they are able to send the children to school, the children are segregated and get fewer resources. At the same time, many Gypsies are not allowed to be legally employed. Most people will steal if they are hungry. In addition, most Gypsies, who prefer to be called Rromani have suffered a great deal under prolonged slavery and racism. We (yes we) were kidnapped out of India, 1,000 years ago and sold into slavery. Because we refused to give up our culture and our language many Europeans hated us and forced us to become nomadic people, never allowed to stay in one place. Never allowed to make an honest living. It is so easy to blame the victim for the hate we dish out and force feed them. How shameful. The one's who left racist comments, your karma is that you have to live in your own skin. Enjoy living with yourself.
Why isn't the author of the article noted along with the article?
I wonder if they were in this country legally?
Okay, sure...the Romany people have a long, troubled and difficult past...but that does not give anyone carte blanche to thieve and steal. Many gypsies have triumphed in the arts, civic and other areas. They are just a people like any other...some good, some not so much. This crew looks like it tends toward the latter group.
"Django" Reinhardt forever!!!
They all have snake eyes like a gypsy