An organized crime ring stole more than $10 million in merchandise from Home Depot stores across Southern California through hundreds of thefts. Members committed more than 600 separate thefts at 71 Home Depot locations across Ventura, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties. A months-long multi-agency operation called Operation Kill Switch led to arrests of all 14 suspected members and the filing of a 48-count criminal complaint. David Ahl, a San Fernando Valley resident who ran a wholesale business, is accused of masterminding the ring. Boosters stole items, delivered them in trash bags or Home Depot boxes, were paid in cash, and resold goods at reduced prices to contractors and electrical businesses.
An organized crime ring stole more than $10 million worth of merchandise during hundreds of thefts at Home Depot stores across Southern California, authorities said in announcing the arrests of 14 alleged members of the ring. The Ventura County District Attorney's Office announced the filing of a 48-count criminal complaint against the14-member crew, which is alleged to have been part of the largest organized retail theft case uncovered in Home Depot's history, Ventura County Sheriff Jim Fryhoff said at a Tuesday press conference.
Members of the operation stole more than 600 separate times from 71 Home Depot stores across Ventura, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties. The months long multi-agency effort dubbed Operation Kill Switch resulted in the arrest of all 14 members, with nine having been charged so far, according to Fryhoff.
David Ahl, a San Fernando Valley resident who ran a wholesale business, is the alleged mastermind behind the operation. His crew of thieves known as boosters would steal merchandise from the Home Depot stores, sometimes hitting every Home Depot in Ventura County in a single day, Fryhoff said. Then the boosters would deliver the stolen items in trash bags or Home Depot boxes to his business or to his home where he'd pay them in cash. Stolen items would allegedly be resold at a reduced price to contractors or others in the electrical business, a tactic known as fencing.
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