WYOMISSING, Pa. – A man from New York is facing serious charges in Berks County after police say he played a role in a large-scale organized retail theft operation targeting stores up and down the East Coast.
Lionel Johnson is accused of stealing more than $16,000 worth of merchandise from Victoria's Secret inside the Berkshire Mall back in April 2024.
"Those people just don't stay here in Wyomissing," Wyomissing Police Chief John Phillips said of individuals involved with retail theft rings. "They go throughout the county and the country in some cases, and that's what this is."
Authorities say Johnson didn't act alone. He's believed to be part of a larger criminal organization that’s responsible for over $800,000 in stolen merchandise across several states.
Police say the way these crimes are committed has also changed.
"This has happened here in Wyomissing several times over the years," Phillips said. "We get these people come in, grab a lot of merchandise and rip it off the shelves, and take it and go. Again, they're not doing that for themselves. They're looking to resell this merchandise."
Gone are the days of selling stolen goods on street corners. Investigators say thieves are now turning to resale apps and online marketplaces, where stolen items can be listed and sold within minutes of the crime.
"He needs to be held accountable," said Berks County District Attorney John Adams, “because he will continue to pilfer retail stores throughout Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Rhode Island and all down the Atlantic seaboard if he's not held accountable."
Law enforcement officials say selling stolen goods online makes these crimes much harder to trace, but there are steps consumers can take to protect themselves:
Be cautious of deals that seem too good to be true.
Watch for missing tags or suspicious packaging.
Always try to meet sellers in public places.
"We need to help those retailers," Adams added. "We need to stop the thefts from occurring and hold these serial retail thieves accountable."
