Two men were arrested for organized retail theft in several Florida counties.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement arrested 52-year-old Raydel Amado Gines Prieto and 36-year-old Erisniel Melgarejo Rodriguez, both of St. Petersburg in Central Florida, on two counts each of organized retail theft.
This month, the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office took Melgarejo Rodriguez into custody on the FDLE warrant. He was booked into the Pinellas County Jail. At the time of the arrest warrant, Gines Prieto was in custody on unrelated charges.
FDLE’s Organized Retail Crime Squad opened the investigation in December 2023 after asset protection representatives from a major retailer reported two individuals stealing from home improvement stores across multiple west Florida counties.
The investigation found that the merchandise was stolen using different methods including under-scanning items at self-checkout kiosks, fulfilling fraudulent returns and exiting stores with shopping carts of unpaid merchandise.
The thefts resulted in a loss of more than $370,000 in stolen merchandise.
Agents identified Gines Prieto and Melgarejo Rodriguez as the individuals responsible. Further investigation linked the pair to more than 150 retail theft incidents since August 2023.
The Attorney General’s Office of Statewide Prosecution is prosecuting the case. The investigation remains active, according to law enforcement.
