A Lansing man is facing serious time after being hit with charges for allegedly masterminding a shoplifting scheme, targeting well-known home improvement stores and offloading his ill-gotten gains on social media. Eric Tanner, 38, accused of pilfering goods from Home Depot, Lowe's, and a Kroger store was slapped with eight counts of organized retail crime and one count of conducting a criminal enterprise, as detailed by The Detroit News.
According to WWJ Newsradio, Attorney General Dana Nessel's office claims Tanner operated from May 2023 through January 2024 and employed individuals struggling with drug addiction to carry out the thefts. In a press release, Nessel said, "We often see the characteristics evident in this case — multiple theft perpetrators, brazen daytime thefts, turning merchandise over to a single operator who then sells the loot for profit." Tanner is said to have primarily fenced power tools and vacuums on Facebook Marketplace.
During his arraignment, Tanner was appointed a lawyer from the Eaton County Public Defender's Office and his bond was set at $10,000. His next court appearance is penciled in for April 8. If Tanner is convicted, the stakes are high – he could face up to 20 years in prison for each organized retail crime count and the same for running the criminal enterprise, as reported by Lansing State Journal.
The brazen scheme spanned various locations, with Tanner's recruited thieves hitting stores in Lansing, Jackson, and Okemos. Government officials, say these crimes reflect a growing trend of organized operations that overtly snatch high-value items during store hours then quickly flip them online. The complexity and scale of these operations have spawned task forces like the AG’s FORCE Team and Organized Retail Crime Unit, whose yearly establishment was aimed squarely at taking down large-scale theft rings. Tanner's lawyer with the Eaton County Public Defender's Office, was not immediately available to throw in their two cents on the case.
