Jared Duke (Courtesy: Arizona Attorney General's Office)
PHOENIX - The Arizona Attorney General's Office announced on May 12 that a man has been sentenced to 6.5 years in prison for his role in a years-long retail theft operation.
What we know:
Per the statement, 35-year-old Jared Duke was charged "as part of an enterprise victimizing local retail establishments from January 1, 2018 through December 31, 2024." Duke had pleaded guilty in March 2026 of two counts of organized retail theft, two counts of trafficking stolen property, and a count of illegally conducting an enterprise.
Dig deeper:
According to investigators, Duke was identified as a booster, and determined he received just over $22,000 of payments from a fencing location.
The National Retail Federation's website describes boosters as those who conduct the original thefts, and fencing locations as the place where stolen goods are sold for pennies on the dollar, and a place where stolen merchandise "begins its movement back to the consumer."
"Retail loss prevention partners identified approximately $4,849.60 in known thefts attributed to Duke," read a portion of the statement.
The entire retail theft enterprise, according to the Attorney General's Office, is "associated with approximately $10 million in stolen merchandise."
What's next:
Officials with the Attorney General's Office say besides the prison sentence, Duke was also ordered to pay $4,849 as restitution, along with other fines and assessments.
"Other co-defendants have been charged, and their cases are pending. They are presumed innocent until convicted," read a portion of the statement.
The Source: Information for this article was gathered from a statement released by the Arizona Attorney General's Office, and from the National Retail Federation's website.