Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced the arrest of a Lake Worth couple for allegedly orchestrating a multi-circuit organized retail theft scheme involving bought and resold baby formula totaling 1.1 million dollars across Florida while speaking at a press conference in West Palm Beach this week.
According to a release from Attorney General Uthmeier, Mohammed Alsaidi and Zeina Abdul-Hassan Sou Zabib allegedly ran a fencing operation out of their Lake Worth residence and Davie warehouse using professional shoplifters (boosters) to steal baby formula from Publix, Target, Walmart, Walgreens, CVS, and Winn-Dixie stores and sell it to the defendants for $10 per can, or about one-fifth of retail price.
Alsaidi and Zabib then allegedly stored, distributed, and resold the formula for profit, including out of their Lake Worth residence where ledgers documenting formula purchases and sales were taken by investigators. In total, over 150 baby formula thefts were taken with retailers reporting hundreds of thousands of dollars in losses.
“Stealing baby formula away from parents who rely on it to feed their children is unconscionable,” Uthmeier said in a release. “This couple sat at the top of a criminal enterprise that paid thieves to clear Florida shelves and then resold the stolen formula for more than a million dollars in profit. Organized retail theft is not a victimless crime, and we will continue to crack down on these enterprises to keep prices low.”
Overall, nine boosters have been charged including Kenneth Jones Jr for allegedly 50 formula thefts totaling more than $70,000. Eight others have also been charged with crimes.
Jones was charged by Attorney General Uthmeier in September.
Alsaidi and Zeina Abdul-Hassan Sou Zabib were charged with 1st-degree felony conspiracy to commit racketeering and two counts of 1st-degree felony direct dealing in stolen property. They face up to 90 years in prison if convicted.
The Office of Statewide Prosecution Special Investigative Retail Theft Task Force, the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, and several other Florida law enforcement agencies led the investigation.
“We can’t overlook the impact these crimes have on our community,” Palm Beach County Ric Bradshaw added. "When parents can’t find baby formula on store shelves, it creates fear of a shortage and can force families to search elsewhere or stock up when they find it, further limiting availability for other families who depend on it.”
