Prosecutors allege that Linda Been, 48 was the ringleader. The Tulsa woman arrested under an alias, is listed in jail records as Linda Gann.
Been and her son, Curtis Leon Gann, Jr were alleged to have sold the stolen goods, including over-the-counter medications, on their eBay accounts.
Been also provided the shoplifters with detailed lists of the items to steal. And she paid their travel expenses to travel from state-to-state. If any of her gang were arrested she provided them with bond money to keep them out of jail.
Members of a large-scale theft ring have been charged by Federal and State prosecutors for their roles in an organization whose operations crossed state lines and caused more than $10 million in losses to retailers. @TulsaPolice @TCSO @HSI_Dallas @USAO_NDOK @Okla_OAG pic.twitter.com/y6J1gFPJVj
— IRS Criminal Investigation (@IRS_CI) January 13, 2022
Shoplifting ring targeted big-name retailers
Over-the-counter medications were on the top of the “to steal” list. That includes prescription-free drugs like Flonase, Nexium, Mucinex, and Allegra. And at this point stolen goods were passed on to “fences” outside of Oklahoma to be sold on e-commerce sites like Amazon and eBay.
Prosecutors say the defendants targeted primarily big-name retailers. And hit Walmart, Costco, Walgreens, CVS, Sprouts and GNC on a daily basis. They operated throughout Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas.