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Tag: family accused of shoplifting

  • $7 Million Shoplifting Spree Sends Couple To Jail

    One couple’s series of five-fingered discounts has come to a screeching halt as they now find themselves charged with stealing several million dollars worth of goods across the United States.

    Branko Bogdanov, 58, and his wife, Lela Bogdanov, 52, are said to have worked with their daughter, Julia Bogdanov, 34, to steal merchandise and then sell the items on eBay.

    The Yugoslav natives were arrested a week ago in their home in Northbrook, Illinois, an upscale Chicago suburb.

    At present, none of the accused have entered a plea. US Magistrate Judge Michael Mason has decided that Lela and Branko Bogdanov will remain in jail as they are major flight risks. It has not been decided whether or not the daughter will be released ahead of the upcoming trial.

    According to prosecutor Renato Marriotti, the alleged shoplifters are not only guilty of a decade long run as thieves, they are also in the country illegally. He also mentioned they have arrest records for previous crimes.

    Branko Bogdanov claimed that he was in debt $28,000. However, the prosecutor said that he owns a million dollar home, multiple vehicles that include a Lexus and Corvette. The suspect is accused of trying to mislead officials.

    Also being misleading, according to Marriotti, is wife Lela Bogdanov. She is said to have exaggerated her illness in court, slowly shuffling in a bid for sympathy. This was contrasted with video footage of the woman dashing through stores with stolen goods.

    It is clear that the pair intend to try and use whatever they can to their advantage to try and convince the American justice system that they are deserving of leniency. On the other hand, law enforcement officials are not amused, and do not trust the pair.

    After complaints by companies such as Toys-R-Us and Barnes & Noble about a series of thefts throughout their stores, the investigation eventually lead to the Bogdanovs. The three family members each face a single count of interstate transportation of stolen property.

    The maximum for this count if they are found guilty is ten years in prison.

    Image via YouTube

  • $7 Million Shoplifting Spree: The Family Responsible Is Arrested

    An Illinois family living in one of the nicest areas of Chicago just got arrested after a suspected 10-year shoplifting spree, according to a federal complaint released Wednesday.

    The family, Branko Bogdanov, 58, Lela Bogdanov, 52, and their 34-year-old daughter, Julia Bogdanov were arrested in their home after Secret Service agents followed them on a shoplifting spree in February through Oklahoma, Texas and Louisiana.

    They have each been charged with one count of interstate transportation of stolen property. The trio made an appearance Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Chicago, but did not enter pleas. They are being held until a detention hearing next week. Reportedly, law enforcement would rather not release them at all, as they are considered a flight risk.

    Officials may not have caught them now, if Barnes and Noble and Toys R Us hadn’t contacted the United States Secret Service claiming “a huge loss in merchandise.”

    They have stolen least $7 million in merchandise from all over the country ranging from toys, cosmetics, baby items and other valuable things, traveling all over the country in pursuit of the ‘stolen goods’ and then selling them on eBay.

    With the help of the companies’ complaint and eBay, authorities were able to trace the stolen items to an online trading account of a cooperating witnesses, who, in turn, agreed to help in the investigation of the Bogdanovs.

    The witness, who wishes to remain unnamed, bought many of the stolen items at the Bogdanov home. Those items included everything from American Girl dolls and Furby robotic toys to coffee and steak knives. The witness then sold them online through eBay. Alone, the Bogdanovs directly sold more than $690,000 in merchandise through eBay, the complaint says.

    Their criminal operation included the mother, Lela, wearing a long black skirt with large compartments sewn on the inside for use during the theft. Fortunately, she was caught on surveillance cameras leaving some stores with her skirt looking notably fuller than when she entered, the complaint says.

    The head of the Secret Service office in Chicago, Frank P. Benedetto, said large-scale shoplifting hurts not only the retailers, but also the consumers.

    “If this type of crime continues unchecked, the costs … will be passed from the retailer to the common shopper,” he said.

    If the family is convicted, they each face a maximum sentence of 10 years, a $250,000 fine and restitution payments.

    Image via YouTube