A man who spent two months in late 2023 targeting Lowe's stores across Arizona has been sentenced to six years in prison and ordered to repay the home improvement retailer nearly $13,000. Alexander Ludwig No was sentenced on September 23 in Pima County Superior Court, capping a case that began as a sprawling, multi-count indictment and ended with a guilty plea to four felony counts.
The Arizona Attorney General's Office announced the sentencing, saying No was ordered to pay $12,880.44 in restitution to Lowe's, according to the Arizona Attorney General's Office. As reported by FOX 10 Phoenix, No pleaded guilty to two counts of organized retail theft, one count of theft, and one count of fraudulent schemes and artifices in July. In addition to the prison term, he will serve three years of probation once released.
The thefts took place between November 1 and December 28, 2023, as No targeted Lowe's locations across the state, per the FOX 10 Phoenix report. He was originally charged with five counts of organized retail theft, three counts of attempted organized retail theft, one count of theft, and one count of fraudulent schemes and artifices before the case was resolved through his plea.
A Statewide Push Against Big-Box Theft Rings
Attorney General Kris Mayes said organized retail theft drives up costs for businesses and consumers and threatens community safety, according to the station's report, and her office said it will hold accountable those who steal from Arizona businesses. The case involved thefts at Lowe's stores across Arizona.
Under Arizona Revised Statutes § 13-1819, organized retail theft is classified as a Class 4 felony punishable by up to 3.75 years in prison for a first offense, according to AZ Defenders, when a person steals merchandise with intent to resell it or uses a device to facilitate removal. Arizona enacted Senate Bill 1411 to create a task force under Mayes, per the International Council of Shopping Centers.
No's case follows a string of similar prosecutions the Attorney General's Office has pursued in recent months. In May, Mayes announced an eight-year prison sentence and 14 years of probation for Alexander Moreno Dantzler, who stole more than $140,000 in goods from Walmart locations across multiple Arizona counties — a case Hoodline covered at the time. In March, state prosecutors secured a 3.25-year prison term for Nicholas Miller, who ran a regional theft ring that moved roughly $2 million in stolen merchandise between Tucson and Phoenix, shipping goods to an East Coast buyer who paid him $450,000, the Arizona Attorney General's Office said.
The Cost of Organized Theft to Arizona Businesses
The financial toll of organized retail crime on the state is substantial. A 2019 Retail Industry Leaders Association study estimates that retail crime costs Arizona businesses more than $2.4 billion in stolen goods annually and leads to $766 million in lost employee wages, with prosecutors noting that inventory losses directly diminish municipal sales tax revenue, according to the National District Attorneys Association.
The Maricopa County Attorney's Office has discussed organized retail crime efforts and Safe Shopping advice, according to the Lerner & Rowe Law Group.
A National Trend Driving Tougher Laws
Arizona's crackdown mirrors a national push against retail theft. A 38-state bipartisan coalition has proposed a coordination center within the Department of Homeland Security. National organized retail crime losses total more than $121 billion.
A survey found that 76% of retail asset protection managers said employees suffered violence.
Arizona has handled several other organized retail theft cases involving major chains in recent months, including the case of a Show Low-area officer who pleaded not guilty to felony charges tied to alleged Walmart thefts. No's sentencing adds another entry to the state's growing list of multi-count prosecutions aimed at dismantling theft rings that target big-box retailers statewide.
