A group of men created their own department store on eBay by stealing from actual stores and posting the boosted items online, authorities said Thursday.
Marlon Suarez of Coral Gables is the alleged ringleader of the eBay shoplifting crew, which targeted WalMart and Target stores across South Florida.
Suarez, 34, has been charged with theft, racketeering and money laundering for his virtual department store.
Several others have been arrested in connection with the theft ring, which stretched from Palm Beach all the way to Florida City.
Over a year's span, from 2008-2009, the shop lifting crew made close to $150,000 from sales on eBay off of 1,400 items, all stolen, police claim.
The band of thieves would hit, on average, four stores a night and would be on the prowl four times a week to build up their inventory. The stolen items would then be posted on an eBay account held by Nancy Outerino.
According to an arrest affidavit, Suarez would be the first to stake out a target and actually make legit purchases to get a receipt. Then he would go to a car where his "employees" would be waiting to get the receipt.
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Each suspect would take a turn going inside the store and choosing similar items to the ones Suarez had bought. Then they would walk out of the store flashing the receipt as if they had just purchased the items.
The stolen booty was stored in a warehouse in Miami-Dade and in Suarez's apartment.
