August 21, 2018, Canton, MI – Today at 3 p.m., in Dearborn’s 19th District Court, the first two of five individuals will be arraigned on charges issued by Wayne County Prosecutor Kym L. Worthy in connection with an organized retail crime scheme.
•Nafez Mohammad, age 59 of Detroit, is being charged with
o( 1) Count Continuing Criminal Enterprise, a 20-year felony
o(10) Counts of Receiving & Concealing Stolen Property $1,000 - $20,000, a 5-year felony
o(17) Counts of Organized Retail Crime, a 5-year felony
o( 2) Counts of Receiving & Concealing Stolen Property $200 - $1,000, a 1-year misdemeanor
•Victoria Henderson, age 33 of Detroit, is being charged with
o( 1) Count of Continuing Criminal Enterprise, a 20-year felony
o(15) Counts of Receiving & Concealing Stolen Property $1,000 - $20,000, a 5-year felony
o(17) Counts of Organized Retail Crime, a 5-year felony
o( 2) Counts of Receiving & Concealing Stolen Property $200 - $1,000, a 1-year misdemeanor
Between March 16, 2018 and July 27, 2018, it is alleged that Henderson, and additional suspects, would steal from various retail stores in Canton such as CVS, Walgreens, Rite-Aid, and Target. The defendant(s) would turn the stolen merchandise over to Mohammad. It is alleged that Mohammad would take the items to a storage unit in Dearborn and remove the plastic security devices and stickers so they could be sold to purchasers on the internet. More detailed information about the case will be presented on the record in court.
“Over the past year, the Canton Police Department has been diligent with our investigations into organized retail criminal enterprises,” said Deputy Director Chad Baugh. “Our intention is to disrupt the trade of stolen merchandise in our region, therefore diminishing the number of venues for would-be thieves to sell their stolen goods. In the long run, legitimate retailers will see a reduction in thefts, therefore averting consumers from paying inflated retail prices to make up for the losses,” Baugh adds.
Wayne County Prosecutor Kym L. Worthy said, “We are committed to prosecuting those who engage in organized retail crime. This kind of criminal activity can potentially and negatively affect every resident of Wayne County.”
The charges are allegations and defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
###
MEDIA CONTACT: Investigative Lt. Mike Steckel, 734/394-5420
Maria Miller, Wayne County Asst. Prosecutor, Director of Communications, 313-224-5817
(Original release below)
Original Release - Criminal Investigation Results in Five Arrests
August 1, 2018, Canton, MI – Today the Canton Police Department, with assistance from members of the Michigan State Police, have been executing search warrants at various locations in Dearborn and Detroit. The search warrants were issued for storage units, a warehouse and residential locations following a four-month investigation of an alleged criminal enterprise. As of this afternoon, five suspects have been arrested and officers are in the process of recovering alleged stolen property believed to exceed $125,000 in value.
The case remains under investigation and will be submitted to the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office for review of charges. Additional information will be released as it becomes available.
###