A California thief used Target’s self-checkout service to snatch over $60,000 worth of merchandise during a shoplifting spree spanning across 100 visits to the retail store.
Aziza Graves, 43, visited the Target at the Stonestown Galleria in San Francisco 120 times between October 3, 2020, and November 16, 2021, according to the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office.
During her elaborate scheme, Graves picked items from the shelves before she headed straight to the self-checkout counter, scanned her items, and paid a nominal amount, such as a single coin or bill, before exiting the store.
Graves was arrested in Nov. 2021 after investigators and the San Francisco Police Department followed her inside and around the store twice.
After leaving the store with the stolen items, the thief would go to the city’s United Nations Plaza, less than a mile from City Hall, where she sold the items off to vendors of stolen property.
“She subsequently began to sell her stolen goods to anyone passing by,” the DA said.
San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins blasted the increase in shoplifting in the area, saying it hurts businesses of all sizes.
“Retail theft continues to have a major impact on San Francisco businesses from the small mom-and-pop corner store to the large retail stores,” Jenkins said in the press release last week.
A jury convicted Graves on one felony count of grand theft and 52 misdemeanor petty theft counts.
She was originally charged with eight felony counts of grand theft and 120 misdemeanor counts of petty theft, according to KRON4.
Graves, who is currently out of custody, faces up to three years in state prison. Her sentencing hearing is scheduled for May 24.
Jenkins called out the shoplifters whose actions hurt the public from benefitting from the stores.
“Individuals such as Aziza Graves commit egregious thefts through brazen and repeated conduct that greatly impacts retailers’ ability to operate and serve the general public in their area,” Jenkins added.
“These crimes demand accountability and we need to send the message to others who engage in open and brash thefts that, with the support of our local law enforcement partners, our office will continue to pursue and prosecute those involved.
“This verdict emphasizes that the citizens of San Francisco will not tolerate these offenders who attempt to take advantage of our business community.”
