By Hank Russell
In an effort to crack down on repeat shoplifters, Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney had introduced a program in which his office, local law enforcement and stores work together to catch those repeatedly committing retail theft. At a press conference at the Suffolk County Police Academy gym in Brentwood on December 2, Tierney announced the results of that program, including the prosecutions of 15 repeat offenders and a reduction in shoplifting in Suffolk.
The Retail Protection Partnership is a joint effort among the aforementioned parties to make sure any repeat shoplifters are caught and punished. Among the retailers that have joined the program so far include Target Corporation, Lowe’s, Home Depot, Ulta, Marshalls, Stop and Shop, Walgreens, Macy’s, CVS, TJX Companies, and Burlington. Tierney said he is anticipating more Suffolk retailers will become part of the program.
The law enforcement members of the Retail Protection Partnership currently consist of Assistant District Attorneys, District Attorney Detective Investigators, members of each of the Suffolk County Police Department’s seven police precincts, and members of the Suffolk County Police Department’s District Attorney’s Squad.
“Shoplifting is not a victimless crime,” Tierney said. “It affects everyone. It drives up consumer prices, employees lose jobs stores close and it costs taxpayers millions of dollars.” According to Tierney, in New York State alone, retailers lost $4.4 billion and the state lost out on $178 million in tax revenue.
In October 2023, Tierney met with retailers to discuss the heavy toll that shoplifters were causing in their stores in Suffolk County. He said the state’s bail reform laws have “emboldened” these repeat offenders “and encouraged them to shoplift.” Because of these laws, police cannot arrest shoplifters; they can only issue them desk appearance tickets and hope they show up for court on that day.
“Oftentimes, or all the time, they won’t show up [for their court date],” Tierney said. “We can ask for a warrant [but] we have to go out and find the offender and send him back to court. If they miss a court date again, then we can get a warrant. This is a tremendous strain on our resources.”
To prevent someone from stealing from a store again, Tierney said, retailers will identify the repeat offenders to law enforcement. From there, officers will issue a trespass notice to the subject, “It tells them, ‘You are no longer welcome here in this store,’” Tierney said. If they attempt to enter the store, then they can be arrested for trespassing. If they are caught stealing, the charges can be upgraded to burglary.
Tierney announced that his office has prosecuted almost half of the top recidivist shoplifters. So far, the following 15 have been convicted:
- RYAN MCINTOSH, 33, undomiciled, pleaded guilty to Grand Larceny in the Fourth Degree, a Class E felony, and was sentenced to one and a half to three years in prison. At the time of his arrest on that case, McIntosh was pending sentence for Grand Larceny in the Third Degree, a Class D felony, for which he was sentenced to two and a half to five years in prison, to run concurrently with his new grand larceny conviction.
- ANITA GUARINO, 56, of Mastic Beach, pleaded guilty to Grand Larceny in the Fourth Degree, a Class E felony, and was sentenced to two to four years in prison.
- JOSE MALDONADO, 41, of Brentwood, pleaded guilty to Grand Larceny in the Fourth Degree, a Class E felony, and was sentenced to two to four years in prison.
- ESPERANZA TRICOCHE, 39, of Bay Shore, was convicted of Grand Larceny in the Fourth Degree, and was sentenced to one and a half to three years in prison.
- MICHAEL GIOELI, 35, of Babylon, pleaded guilty to Attempted Grand Larceny in the Third Degree, a Class E felony, and was sentenced to one and a half to three years in prison.
- STEVEN DURHAM, 41, of Coram, pleaded guilty to an aggregated Grand Larceny in the Fourth Degree, a Class E felony, and was sentenced to one to three years in prison.
- DWAYNE HUDSON, 54, of Mount Vernon, pleaded guilty to Grand Larceny in the Fourth Degree, a Class E felony, and was sentenced to one year in jail.
- TAYLOR JOHNSON, 32, of Massapequa, pleaded guilty to multiple counts of Petit Larceny, a Class A misdemeanor, and was sentenced to one year in jail.
- MELISSA KUST, 43, of Flanders, pleaded guilty to Petit Larceny, a Class A misdemeanor, and was sentenced to the maximum of one year in jail.
- ERIN LUTZ, 39, of Bellport, pleaded guilty to multiple misdemeanor charges of Petit Larceny and was sentenced to one year in jail.
- PATRICK O’TOOLE, 34, of Copiague, pleaded guilty to five counts of Petit Larceny, which occurred at five different retailers, and was sentenced to one year in jail.
- KELVIN RANSOM, 55, of Medford, pleaded guilty to Grand Larceny in the Fourth Degree, a Class E felony, and was sentenced to one year in jail.
- EMMANUEL ROSARIO, 36, of Brentwood, pleaded guilty to Robbery in the Third Degree, a Class D felony, stemming from a retail theft incident, and was sentenced to one year in jail.
- MARION MCCLURE, 60, of Central Islip, pleaded guilty to Grand Larceny in the Fourth Degree, a Class E felony, and was sentenced to nine months in jail.
- ANTHONY FENNER, 35, of Hempstead, pleaded guilty to Burglary in the Third Degree, a class D felony, and was sentenced to six months in jail and is currently being supervised by probation.
Tierney also showed videos of their “brazen” offenses. “They walked out, they thought they could get away with it, but they didn’t. … Just because you left with [the merchandise] from the store doesn’t mean you got away with it.”
He also pointed out that shoplifting from 2022 to 2023 — before the program was implemented — went up. While shoplifting and other larcenies in Suffolk County rose from 4,499 incidents in 2022 to 5,119 incidents in 2023, following the implementation of the Retail Protection Partnership program, such incidents have fallen to 5,053 within the past year. Tierney pointed out that bucks the state trend, which has seen shoplifting increase.
Tierney issued this warning for potential shoplifters: “Do not steal other people’s stuff. If you do, especially in Suffolk County, we will hold you responsible.”