Murfreesboro police say a slick refund scam at the Old Fort Parkway Walmart ran up thousands of dollars in bogus returns before detectives shut it down this week.
Investigators allege a small crew targeted high-end electric toothbrushes, stealing the pricey products off the shelves, then marching them back to the customer service counter for refunds. The items were allegedly traded in for gift cards, which, police say, added up fast before the operation unraveled.
According to the Murfreesboro Police Department, officers arrested Devonta Gooden, Deasia White and Shaun Leggs on June 4 and charged all three with organized retail theft. Investigators said they also found additional stolen high-end merchandise in the suspects’ vehicle. White faces extra counts of simple possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia. All three were released on $3,000 bond from the Rutherford County Adult Detention Center and are scheduled to appear in General Sessions Court on July 9.
How investigators say the scheme worked
Detectives described the setup as “one person stealing electric toothbrushes and another returning them for refunds on gift cards,” the department wrote in a Murfreesboro Police Department post. Those refunds were allegedly processed at the Old Fort Parkway Walmart, generating thousands of dollars in gift cards before officers stepped in.
The tactic, return fraud tied to organized retail theft, has been flagged as a growing headache for stores across the country, according to the National Retail Federation.
How police tracked the suspects
Investigators credited analysts in the department’s Real Time Crime Center with helping crack the case. Using automated license plate reader technology, analysts linked a vehicle to the alleged refund scheme, which police say helped them plan the arrests.
Murfreesboro’s Real Time Crime Center integrates license plate readers, public safety cameras and crime databases to generate real-time investigative leads, the City of Murfreesboro explains. Similar high-tech setups are increasingly common in departments nationwide, where they are used to speed up suspect identification during active investigations.
What happens next
Gooden, White and Leggs face organized retail theft charges and are due back in General Sessions Court on July 9. Prosecutors will decide whether to pursue enhanced charges or seek restitution as the case moves forward.
State lawmakers, meanwhile, have been weighing proposals to toughen penalties for organized retail theft and to create a statewide registry of convicted offenders, which could influence how future cases are handled. Details are available through the Tennessee General Assembly.
For now, Murfreesboro police say detectives will keep working with local retailers to track stolen goods and spot similar scams before they get rolling.
