Father-Daughter Duo Sentenced After Pleading Guilty to $6M Shoplifting Scheme

A father and daughter who ran an organized retail crime ring for nearly a decade received jail sentences and were ordered to pay millions in restitution, MarketWatch reports.

According to the article, the duo hired an “army of professional shoplifters” to steal millions of dollars in merchandise, purchased the stolen goods from the thieves, and then sold the goods online using various platforms including Amazon Marketplace and Walmart Marketplace, as well as their own websites.

In total, Robert Whitley, 70, and his daughter, Noni Whitley, 47, organized the theft of $6.1 million worth of merchandise from retailers such as CVS, Walgreens, Target, Kroger and Publix.

They were arrested in 2019 and pleaded guilty in April to interstate transportation of stolen property. Prosecutors called the operation a “well-organized criminal enterprise disguised as an apparently legitimate small business.”

On Tuesday, Robert Whitley was sentenced to five years and 10 months, and Noni Whitley was sentenced to five years. They must also pay $4.35 million in restitution.

Read more at MarketWatch.