FLORIDA – Two Florida men have been arrested and charged for organized retail fraud following an alleged box-stuffing scheme to defraud home improvement stores in Orlando and Miami.
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Rajesh Sanichar, 55, of Orlando, and Rasheed Apanpa, 39, of Miami, were arrested by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) on May 24 and June 6, respectively.
Sanichar is charged with one count of organized scheme to defraud over $50,000 and 10 counts of criminal use of personal identification information.
Apana is charged with one count of organized scheme to defraud under $20,000 and two counts of criminal use of personal identification information
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According to the FDLE, its investigation allegedly shows that Apanpa would empty boxes of tiles from store shelves and then fill them with high-value items. Once the boxes were stuffed with higher-priced merchandise, the FDLE said he would pay for the lower-cost tile and not the expensive concealed merchandise.
It is alleged that after stealing the items, Sanichar, using fake ID cards, returned the stolen items for in-store credit, which he would reportedly sell. The scam resulted in a loss of more than $60,000 at stores in Orlando and Miami, said the FDLE.
Sanichar was arrested on May 24 by FDLE agents with assistance from Orange County Sheriff’s Office and booked into the Orange County Jail. Apanpa was arrested on June 6 and booked into the Broward County Jail. The case will be prosecuted by Attorney General Ashley Moody’s Office of Statewide Prosecution.
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