(The Center Square)— A crackdown on organized retail theft in Maricopa County continues.
Jeremy James Beene, 30, was indicted on June 28 on 42 counts of organized retail theft and four different counts of shoplifting. Beene allegedly stole roughly $60,000 worth of items from The Home Depot locations around the county, and the county attorney’s office said he owned up to buying and selling the stolen goods in order to obtain drugs.
“At the end of the day, we all pay for those who commit this type of crime,” County Attorney Rachel Mitchell said in a statement on Friday. “The loss to stores has a real domino effect and that is higher prices for consumers.”
According to the news release, the crimes allegedly occurred over the course of two years, ranging from February 2022 to June 2024. Video allegedly shows him stealing “expensive construction equipment.”
The counts range from a Class 4 felony to a Class 6 felony and a Class 1 misdemeanor, which means he is likely to face prison time if convicted. The county attorney’s office noted he is currently behind bars with a $35,000 “secured appearance bond.”
As some major cities have made frequent headlines for organized retail theft, Mitchell has recently touted that it’s a priority for her office.
On June 20, the county attorney praised sentencing of Juan Ambriz-Rincon, who was convicted for stealing nearly $1 million worth of goods from hardware stores as well. He was sentenced to three and a half years behind bars and $300,000 restitution.
“Rather than being gainfully employed, this criminal made it his full-time job to steal over $1M from retail stores and then re-sell the stolen merchandise,” County Attorney Rachel Mitchell said at the time. “This significant restitution combined with the prison sentence lets offenders know Maricopa County is not the place where you can get away with this type of crime.”
The Center Square interviewed Mitchell in October in which she explained the crackdown is done in hopes to protect retailers and consumers.