On Tuesday, Brian Roussey, 31 of Farmington Hills, pled guilty to three counts of Organized Retail Fraud for operating a theft and resale scheme of KitchenAid brand stand mixers from metro Detroit Target stores, announced Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel.
Roussey began stealing KitchenAid mixers in late 2020 and continued through late 2022, entering various Target locations throughout the metro Detroit area, walking out with the product without making a purchase, and selling the stolen appliances on public online forums such as Facebook Marketplace. The stand mixers retail for as much as $500 per unit and losses from Target total in excess of $20,000.
The case against Roussey was handled by the attorney general’s newly established Organized Retail Crime (ORC) Unit operating with Michigan State Police as the FORCE Team.
"The FORCE Team was established specifically to take on organized retail crimes in direct partnership with the victim retail businesses,” said Nessel. “In this case the team worked closely with the retailer Target to end a two-year theft spree that cost the company tens of thousands of dollars. Organized retail crime costs Michigan businesses and consumer millions every year, but more than that it also endangers public safety by turning any given shopping trip to a local store into an active crime scene nobody would willingly stroll through with their children in the cart. The FORCE Team continues to deliver meaningful convictions in only its first year of operation.”
The FORCE Team and the Organized Retail Crime Unit were established in January by the attorney general to target criminal organizations that steal products from retailers to repackage and sell for a profit. Two assistant attorneys general serve the unit full time, working with special agents within the Department of Attorney General and Michigan State Police detectives to investigate and prosecute these crimes. This is a first-in-the-nation unit, unique in the 50 states as being the first such unit with embedded, dedicated staff from the Department of Attorney General.
The FORCE Team is dedicated to working collaboratively with retailers and local law enforcement agencies to combat organized retail crime. Local law enforcement agencies or retailers with evidence of organized retail fraud are encouraged to email the FORCE Team.
Roussey pled guilty to the charges on Tuesday, September 12th before Oakland County Circuit Court Judge Cheryl Matthews. He will next appear before the court for sentencing October 17.
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