Welcome to Mysteries to Die For.

I am TG Wolff and am here with Jack, my piano player and producer. This is a podcast where we combine storytelling with original music to put you in the heart of a mystery. All stories are structured to challenge you to beat the detective to the solution. Jack and I perform these live, front to back, no breaks, no fakes, no retakes.

The rules for law and order create the boundaries for civil co-existence and, ideally, the backdrops for individuals, families, and companies to grow and thrive. Breaking these rules puts civil order at risk. And while murder is the Big Daddy of crimes, codified ordinances across municipal divisions, counties, states, and countries show the nearly endless ways there are to create mayhem. This season, we put our detective skills to the test. This is Season 8, Anything but Murder.

This is Episode 10, large-scale theft is the featured crime. This is Graciela’s Gifts by KM Rockwood.

Another mystery from KM Rockwood, who has written the Jesse Damon crime novels, and numerous short stories.

DELIBERATION

Graciela doesn’t know who to trust as she tries to suss who is behind the large-scale theft. Lucky for her, she has us. Here is everyone currently on her “do not trust” list, in the order we met them:

• Cooper Reynes, security expert, hired to stop Graciela’s inventory losses
• Michelle, Graciela’s friend and first employee, she needs money to help her sister with medical bills
• Raoul, Graciela’s second employee, he works hard to keep the store neat
• Jocelyn, a recent hire, she came from Cooper’s recommended agency
• Livvy, a recent hire, she also came from Cooper’s recommended agency
• Officer Bronkin, investigating similar thefts at other stores
• Noah, custodian for the strip mall, has access to all the stores
• Giggling girl, customer, left her wallet in among the pugs

Here are the facts swirling in Graciela’s mind:

• Cooper Reynes was recommended by the Chamber of Commerce for his success in reducing thefts. He upgrades his client’s security, personally reviewing the footage for problems.
• Prompted to do an inventory, Graciela and Michelle found significant merchandise loss, including whole cartons of purses and scarves
• Michelle and Raoul were with Graciela long before the problem started. Still, they both bring bags to work able to smuggle out product and tend to live paycheck to paycheck.
• Jocelyn and Livvy are newer employees, hired through a service Cooper recommended.
• Officer Bronkin is working the case but without much progress. He turns Graciela on to a trick of moving stolen goods using trash dumpsters.
• Raoul always takes out the trash. He was meticulous like that. Graciela inspected one suspicious box but found only packing peanuts.
• Graciela found one of her stolen, unique pieces, an Eiffel Tower with a Celtic cross, on an on-line retail site.
• Graciela’s most expensive piece, a diamond accented pug, went missing during the previous day, including after hours. She does not suspect the cleaning crew. The others with after hours access were Cooper and Noah.
• Noah showed Graciela how to view the security footage, countering Cooper’s argument that it was difficult and could overwrite footage. The recent footage showed Livvy taking out trash.

Who is ruining the party at Graciela’s Gifts and More?

About Large-Scale Theft

Large-scale theft is also known as organized retail crime. As you saw in our story, it’s the theft of large quantities of products from retailers with the purpose of selling the products. Where shoplifting is committed by individuals for personal use, large-scale theft is a highly organized big business. According to the National Retail Federation, retail losses in 2022 totaled $112 billion with theft accounting for roughly 65%.

From US Immigration and Customs Enforcement comes the story of two Houston brothers who, from June 2015 to March 2018, acted as fences for an estimated $30 million in retail goods. Yasser Saleh Ouwad, his brother Bilal Saleh Awad and other conspirators pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to transport stolen merchandise. Ouwad was sentenced to 41 months in federal prison plus 3 years supervised release. He was ordered to forfeit $260,000 from bank accounts representing proceeds, pay $109,742 in restitution to CVS Health and Walgreens, and a fine of over $4.6 mil. Awad also received 41 months, had to forfeit $460,000 plus about $6000 in stolen merchandise, pay $322,550 to CVS Health and Walgreens, and a fine of over $4.4 mil.

https://nrf.com/advocacy/policy-issues/organized-retail-crime

https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/2-brothers-sentenced-roles-large-scale-organized-retail-theft-ring-following-hsi

ABOUT KM Rockwood

kmrockwood.com

KM Rockwood draws on a varied background for stories, among them working as a laborer in a steel fabrication plant, operating glass melters and related equipment in a fiberglass manufacturing facility, and supervising an inmate work crew in a large medium security state prison. These jobs, as well as work as a special education teacher in an alternative high school and a GED teacher in county detention facilities, provide most of the background for novels and short stories.

WRAP UP

That wraps this episode of Mysteries to Die For. Support our show by subscribing, telling a mystery lover about us, and giving us a five-star review. Check out our NEW website m2d4podcast.com for links to this season’s authors.

Mysteries to Die For is hosted by TG Wolff and Jack Wolff. Graciela’s Gifts was written by KM Rockwood. Music and production are by Jack Wolff. Episode art is by TG Wolff. Join us next week for a Toe Tag, which is the first chapter from a fresh release in the mystery, crime, or thriller genre. Then come back in two weeks for our next original story where intellectual espionage is the featured murderless crime. It’s Hoodwinked and Bamboozled by TG Wolff