MINNEAPOLIS — The Ramsey County Attorney announced on Friday that four people are now facing charges stemming from a series of mass thefts that happened in late November.
According to County Attorney John Choi, Raymone Wright, Nathaniel Spears, Shaimee Robinson-Love and Na’Touri Ross are all facing charges stemming from group thefts that happened on Nov. 26.
Three Best Buy stores and a Dick's Sporting Goods in the metro area were targeted in the same day, court documents say. The total amount of stolen goods from the Best Buy stores, which included TVs, tablets and hoverboards, came out to just over $26,000.
"This brazen act by an organized group shocked those who witnessed it first-hand as well as the retail community and law-abiding shoppers who were out making purchases ahead of the busy holiday season,” Choi said in a statement.
The statement of probable cause for Spears' arrest claims that Wright, who identifies as a transgender woman and goes by Ra’Lasia Wright, posted on social media about "offering the best boosting services in Minnesota."
A tipster told police that Wright was associated with a Facebook page called “Run Outs by Ralai” and bragged about organized retail thefts, according to the court documents. Wright was also on Facebook Live showing off TVs, laptops, hoverboards and more.
According to the documents, Wright wrote on Facebook that, "This is a lifestyle and I’m proud to say I’m the first certified booster with a LLC. Run Outs by Ralai offer the best boosting service in Minnesota. We are planning to expand this year to offer shipping services to other states as well but for now it’s local and we are getting everything y’all need (clothes, shoes, food, housing supplies, and many more) NO STORE IS TOO BIG NO STORE IS TO (sic) SMALL RUN OUTS BY RALAI WILL DUST THEM ALL. – Ra’Lasia."
Wright also wrote on social media that they were "hosting a hiring event," according to the statement of probable cause, and were paying people between $1,000 to $2,000 a day, depending on their experience.
Court documents also claim that Ross, Spears and Robinson-Love shared photos on social media of them wearing the same clothes that they wore during the thefts. Spears and Robinson-Love both entered the store without a face mask and their faces were clearly recognizable on security footage.
When officers went to the home that a tipster said Wright lived at, a Ford Edge was being towed and she was told that it was being taken because of it was involved in a series of retail thefts, documents say. Wright then told officers that she was there but didn't personally steal anything, adding that a group of people met at a gas station and decided to do the thefts together.
Later officers requested an interview with Wright, she refused to talk about the group thefts without a guarantee that she wouldn't face felony charges for each theft.
The county attorney's office says the investigation is ongoing and more people may be charged.
“Bringing these individuals to justice sends a message that this type of activity will not be tolerated. Our thanks go out to our partners in law enforcement for their hard work in unraveling this complex investigation," Choi said.
