Global Navigation
Office of The Attorney General
The State of New Jersey Office of The Attorney General (Dept. of Law & Public Safety) The State of New Jersey NJ Home Services A to Z Departments/Agencies OAG Frequently Asked Questions
Services A to Z Departments/Agencies OAG Frequently Asked Questions
OAG Home
OAG Contact
spacer
Back to News Releases
OAG Home Attorney General's Biography
Attorney General's Biography
spacer spacer spacer
   
 
spacer spacer spacer
spacer spacer spacer
For Immediate Release: For Further Information:
October 20, 2016

Office of The Attorney General
- Christopher S. Porrino, Attorney General
Division of Criminal Justice
- Elie Honig, Director
Media Inquiries-
Peter Aseltine
609-292-4791
spacer
Citizen Inquiries-
609-984-5828
spacer
spacer spacer spacer
spacer
Mother and Daughter Indicted on Charges They Ran Organized Retail Theft Ring That Stole Expensive Cosmetics and Returned Them for Cash
spacer
spacer spacer spacer
spacer
spacer
spacer spacer spacer
spacer
TRENTON –Attorney General Christopher S. Porrino announced that a mother and her daughter have been indicted on charges that they operated an organized retail theft ring that shoplifted expensive cosmetics and returned them to JCPenney stores, ultimately converting them to cash. They allegedly fraudulently obtained approximately $107,000 from JCPenney stores throughout New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland.

The Division of Criminal Justice obtained a state grand jury indictment on Oct. 18 charging Caroline Britt, 47, and her daughter, Breanna Britt, 23, both of Irvington, N.J., with the following crimes, all second-degree offenses:

  1. Conspiracy,
  2. Leader of Organized Retail Theft Enterprise,
  3. Shoplifting, and
  4. Identity Theft.

In addition, Caroline Britt was charged with second-degree theft by deception. Caroline Britt currently is being held in the Bergen County Jail on unrelated charges. An arrest warrant has been issued for Breanna Britt.

The charges are the result of an investigation by the Division of Criminal Justice Financial & Computer Crimes Bureau. The indictment alleges that from 2011 through 2013, Caroline and Breanna Britt ran an organized retail theft enterprise that shoplifted cosmetics from Ulta stores and returned them to JCPenney stores, obtaining a total of approximately $107,000 from JCPenney for the stolen makeup and other products.

Caroline and Breanna Britt allegedly used a group of associates in their ring. Caroline, Breanna or an associate allegedly would shoplift expensive cosmetics from Ulta stores, including stores in New Jersey. Ring members then allegedly returned the stolen goods to JCPenney stores, which sell the same types of cosmetics at their cosmetics counter. The members initially received JCPenney store credit, but it is alleged that through additional transactions and the fraudulent altering of receipts, they ultimately converted the store credit into cash. When conducting the transactions at JCPenney stores, ring members allegedly presented fraudulent driver’s licenses, sometimes using stolen identities.

“Alleged thieves like the Britts would have little to deter them if they only faced shoplifting charges, but by uncovering the full scope of their activities, we’ve charged them with serious crimes,” said Attorney General Porrino. “We’ll continue to work closely with the industry to prosecute these criminal enterprises aggressively.”

“Shoplifting was the same as stealing cash for this mother and daughter duo, once they devised this alleged scheme,” said Director Elie Honig of the Division of Criminal Justice. “Schemes like this are one reason why organized retail theft costs retailers across the United States billions of dollars per year.”

Deputy Attorneys General Janet Bosi and Jacalyn Estrada presented the case to the state grand jury for the Division of Criminal Justice Financial & Computer Crimes Bureau. The lead detectives were Detective Roxanna Ordonez-Fresse and Detective Cheryl Smith. Attorney General Porrino thanked JCPenney Asset Protection Investigations for their valuable assistance in the investigation.

Second-degree crimes carry a sentence of five to 10 years in state prison and a fine of up to $150,000. Shoplifting is graded as a second-degree crime under New Jersey law when it involves thefts totaling more than $1,000 in merchandise committed as part of an organized retail theft enterprise. The indictment is merely an accusation and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

The indictment was handed up to Superior Court Judge Mary C. Jacobson in Mercer County, who assigned the case to Passaic County, where the defendants will be arraigned at a later date.

Follow the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office online at Twitter, Facebook, Instagram & YouTube. The social media links provided are for reference only. The New Jersey Attorney General’s Office does not endorse any non-governmental websites, companies or applications.

spacer
spacer spacer spacer
spacer
 
News Index Page I top
 
Executive Assistant Attorney General
Attorney General's Message Ask the Attorney General
Contact OAG About OAG
OAG News OAG Frequently Asked Questions
OAG Library Employment
OAG Grants Proposed Rules
OAG History OAG Services A-Z
Statutes
OAG Agencies / Programs / Units
Other News Pages Otras Noticias en Español Division of NJ State Police Division of Law News Governor's Office News Division of Highway Traffic Safety News Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Juvenile Justice Commission News Division on Civil Rights News Division of Consumer Affairs News Division of Criminal Justice News Election Law Enforcement Commission Division of Gaming Enforcement News
NJ State Police News Governor's Office News Division of Highway Traffic Safety News Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Juvenile Justice Commission News Division on Civil Rights News Division of Consumer Affairs News Division of Criminal Justice News Election Law Enforcement Commission Division of Elections News Division of Gaming Enforcement News Office of Government Integrity News
   
Contact Us | Privacy Notice | Legal Statement | Accessibility Statement
NJ Home Logo
Departmental: OAG Home | Contact OAG | About OAG | OAG News | OAG FAQs
Statewide: NJ Home | Services A to Z | Departments/Agencies | FAQs
Copyright © State of New Jersey
This page is maintained by OAG Communications. Comments/Questions: email or call 609-292-4925
OAG Home OAG Home NJ State Police News Governor's Office News Division of Highway Traffic Safety News Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Juvenile Justice Commission News Division on Civil Rights News Division of Consumer Affairs News Division of Criminal Justice News Election Law Enforcement Commission Division of Elections News Division of Gaming Enforcement News Office of Government Integrity News Click to Enlarge Image Click to Enlarge Image Click to Enlarge Graphic Click to enlarge chart Click to enlarge map Click to Enlarge Click to Enlarge Click to Enlarge Click to Enlarge Click to Enlarge Click to Enlarge Click to Enlarge Click to Enlarge Click to Enlarge Click to Enlarge Click to Enlarge Click to Enlarge Click to Enlarge Click to Enlarge Click to Enlarge Click to Enlarge Click to Enlarge Click to Enlarge Click to Enlarge Click to Enlarge Click to Enlarge Click to Enlarge Click on image to enlarge... Click on image to enlarge... Click to enlarge...Click to enlarge...Click to enlarge...Click to enlarge... Click to enlarge...