Police Arrest Suspected Ringleader of Shoplifting Gang, Victoria's Secret at Stoneridge Mall Was Frequent Target

From the Pleasanton Police Department: 

Between March and May of 2013, The Pleasanton Police Department began receiving reports of several organized retail thefts that occurred at the Victoria’s Secret within the Stoneridge Mall. In each case, a group of three to ten subjects boldly entered the store carrying empty bags and removed large amounts 
of merchandise from the shelves before fleeing.

As detectives followed up on the thefts, it was determined that the same group was likely responsible for several similar thefts at the Paragon Outlets in Livermore, the NewPark Mall in Newark and the Great Mall in Milpitas, as well as other high-end retailers throughout the Bay Area.

Detectives from Pleasanton PD, Livermore PD and Newark PD worked together to identify 19 year-old R’Mani Minard of San Francisco as the group’s ring leader.  As a result of the exhaustive investigation, warrants were obtained for Minard’s arrest.  

Minard was recently located and arrested in Los Angeles County on unrelated charges. On July 25, 2013, Minard was transported back to the Bay Area and booked into Santa Rita Jail where he is being held without bail and is facing thirteen felony counts of commercial burglary and one felony count of robbery.  

The robbery charge stemmed from an incident where Minard initiated a physical altercation with a Victoria’s Secret employee over merchandise. It is suspected that Minard and his group have been responsible for over $100,000 in retail thefts.

Additional charges from other agencies are expected to be filed in the future. No injuries occurred during the commission of any of the thefts.

The investigation into the identities of other suspects involved in the thefts is ongoing.

Anyone with information regarding this investigation is asked to call the Pleasanton Police Department  at (925) 931-5100.