A Phoenix man who admitted running a multi-county Walmart theft and fraud scheme is headed to state prison and facing a hefty bill from the retail giant. On Wednesday, a judge sentenced Alexander Moreno Dantzler to eight years in prison and ordered him to pay up to $140,000 in restitution to Walmart after he pleaded guilty to an organized operation that moved high-value goods out of stores around Arizona for resale. Dantzler will also be on supervised probation for 14 years once he gets out.
Indictment said the ring hit stores across the state
According to the Arizona Attorney General's Office, Dantzler and a co-defendant were indicted by a state grand jury in July 2025 on a combined 70 counts tied to an organized retail theft and trafficking enterprise that focused on Walmart locations in Pima, Maricopa, Pinal, Cochise, Graham, Mohave and Yavapai counties. Investigators said the group moved more than $140,000 in merchandise over the course of the probe. The indictments followed a multi-agency investigation involving the Attorney General's Organized Retail Theft team and several local law enforcement partners.
Guilty plea, prison time and restitution
As reported by 12News, Dantzler pleaded guilty to charges including fraud, organized retail theft, trafficking in stolen property and illegally conducting an enterprise. On Wednesday, the judge sentenced him to eight years in an Arizona prison and ordered up to $140,000 in restitution to Walmart, along with 14 years of probation after his release, the outlet noted. How that restitution is collected, and whether seized items are forfeited to victims, is laid out in court records and the sentencing order.
What investigators say was taken
Prosecutors say the thefts zeroed in on electronics and other easy-to-resell merchandise, including Nintendo Switch consoles and other gaming systems, earbuds, a Samsung soundbar, an electric scooter, cologne and work boots. Those items were among the goods listed by local outlets after the indictments. The two investigations that led to the charges involved the Pima County Sheriff's Department, the Oro Valley Police Department, the Arizona Department of Public Safety and the Sahuarita Police Department, according to reporting by Arizona's Family.
Attorney general frames the case as part of a crackdown
Attorney General Kris Mayes has pointed to cases like this as part of a broader, statewide push to disrupt organized retail crime networks. "We will not tolerate organized retail theft enterprises that steal from our businesses and communities," Mayes said in a recent AGO statement highlighting similar prosecutions and sentences. The Attorney General's Office says it will keep working with retailers and local law enforcement to identify and prosecute organized retail theft operations.
What's next for the case
Dantzler's co-defendant, Christopher Campos-Henrey, still faces charges and related court proceedings are ongoing, local outlets reported, including KGUN9. Restitution and forfeiture orders in cases like this are typically enforced through court collection processes and probation terms, as reflected in recent case lists from the Maricopa County Attorney's Office.
