A coordinated law enforcement effort has led to the apprehension of a New York woman, Shante Monique Allen, 32, suspected of committing numerous incidents of return fraud in Ventura County, a chronicling of criminal audacity that taps into the lucrative but illegal gains from manipulating retail systems. According to a statement obtained by the Ventura County Organized Retail Theft Task Force, Allen was arrested on May 14 after detectives traced her activities to an Ulta Store in Moorpark and subsequent fraudulent returns at various locations.
The investigation, spearheaded by the VCORTTF and supported by Simi Valley Police, revealed that Allen's alleged return scams extended beyond Ventura County lines, as she was caught and cuffed on Vanowen Street in Los Angeles where Allen, already a repeat offender, found her scheme unraveling, her vehicle a trove of stolen goods from Ulta and Home Goods stores. The total estimated loss from Allen's activities amounts to approximately $35,000, a representative figure of the blight of organized retail theft which the Ventura County Organized Retail Theft Task Force says costs nearly $10 million annually to the local community, in forgone products and peace.
Allen, after her arrest was booked on felony charges including Grand Theft, Conspiracy to Commit a Crime and Use of False Documents, she was later released on bail, her arraignment is penciled in for May 29th, where the charges will be presented in the fuller light of a courtroom; the saga follows the unveiling of another suspect still sought in connection with this case, the name currently withheld as investigations continue.
The public is urged to step into this fight, to voice what they have seen or know, to pick up the phone, either through the Task Force’s recorded line at (805) 383-8703 or the anonymous Crime Stoppers Tip Line at (800) 222-TIPS (8477).
