PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. \u2013 Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced that a crime ring had been busted in the state \u2014 all over a baby formula scheme.<\/p>\n
In a release, state officials said that the investigation spanned 15 months, with both state-level investigators and the Palm Beach County Sheriff\u2019s Office taking part.<\/p>\n
Investigators identified two of the suspects spearheading the scheme as Mohammed Alsaidi, 59; and Zeina Abdul-Hassan Sou Zabib, 49, of Lake Worth.<\/p>\n
WHAT DID THIS SCHEME LOOK LIKE?<\/p>\n
Detectives identified a \u201cfencing operation\u201d \u2014 one in which a middleman known as a \u201cfence\u201d buys stolen goods from thieves and resells them for profit \u2014 run by Alsaidi and Zabib out of a Lake Worth home and a Davie warehouse, officials explained.<\/p>\n
Professional shoplifters (i.e. \u201cboosters\u201d) stole baby formula from stores like Publix, Target, Walmart, Walgreens, CVS and Winn-Dixie to sell to the suspects for roughly $10 per can \u2014 around one-fifth the price at retail, investigators noted.<\/p>\n
\u201cInvestigators tied the enterprise to more than 150 baby formula thefts throughout Florida between 2024 and 2026,\u201d the release reads. \u201cMajor retailers reported hundreds of thousands of dollars in losses.\u201d<\/p>\n
Once law enforcement searched the Lake Worth home, though, they were able to recover baby formula, retail merchandise, electronics, and ledgers documenting formula purchases and sales, state officials stated.<\/p>\n
WHAT\u2019S NEXT?<\/p>\n
According to the release, nine boosters who supplied the enterprise have already been charged, including Kenneth Jones, who allegedly took part in over 50 baby-formula thefts totatling more than $70,000.<\/p>\n
Others arrested in the investigation include the following:<\/p>\n
Debreka Anderson<\/p>\n
Elizabeth Hutchins<\/p>\n
Geraldine Kitchen<\/p>\n
Vincent Capone<\/p>\n
Kelrikkia May<\/p>\n
Ayana McKeithen<\/p>\n
Curteeciah Bessent<\/p>\n
Marnisha Sims<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Alsaidi and Zabib face felony charges of conspiracy to commit racketeering, and two counts of director of dealing in stolen property.<\/p>\n
If convicted as charged, both face up to 90 years in prison each.<\/p>\n
\u201cStealing baby formula away from parents who rely on it to feed their children is unconscionable,\u201d Uthmeier said. \u201cThis 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
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