TALLAHASSEE, Florida — Attorney General Ashley Moody’s office stated on Monday that three men are charged with running an organized retail crime ring that allegedly stole more than $100,000 from Home Depot shops in 11 South and Central Florida counties, including Palm Beach, Indian River, Martin, Broward, and Miami-Dade counties.
Brevard, Collier, Charlotte, Lee, Sarasota, and Seminoles are the other counties.
Investigators have discovered that Vicky Popat, Christopher Abad, and Christopher Eduardo Baglin exchanged the barcodes of pricey roof sealers for less costly goods. Prosecutors claim that over three years, the group purchased 281 buckets of Henry 887 Tropi-Cool roof sealer at a cost ranging from $248 to $445. They then used self-checkout machines to exchange the codes for Henry 345 Pre-Mixed Floor Patch, which cost $9.98, in over 25 theft cases from Home Depot shops.
Four to sixteen buckets are allegedly switched throughout each transaction. Popat is in Broward County, and Abad and Baglin are in the Indian River County jail.
“This group hit several Home Depot stores a day, ultimately stealing more than $100,000 by switching barcodes at self-checkout stations on expensive roof sealers for items that cost 95–97% less,” according to Moody. As a state committed to law and order, Florida is breaking up organized retail theft organizations. These people will now be prosecuted by our state’s prosecutors and served time in prison—I can assure you that there won’t be a self-checkout queue.
The inquiry was conducted by the Office of Agricultural Law Enforcement of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson declared, “I’m proud of our Office of Agricultural Law Enforcement for helping to end a three-year organized crime spree.” “While some progressive states may look the other way or pursue reduced charges for retail theft, this operation sends a clear message that Florida is relentless in our pursuit of justice and will not tolerate this criminal activity.”
Popat faced a single grand theft accusation over $100,000. Abad and Baglin face a single grand theft accusation exceeding $20,000. Each member of the group faces a single count of conspiring to defraud more than $20,000.
