PORT ORCHARD, Wash. — A retail theft task force created by Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson has secured its first conviction.
Bremerton man Shawn Nanez pleaded guilty in a Kitsap County court Friday to four felony counts of organized retail theft and one felony count of first-degree theft. Nanez was sentenced to 2.5 in prison and another 2.5 years in "community custody" through a drug offender sentencing alternative.
The sentencing alternative mandates Nanez to receive substance abuse treatment upon his release from prison. If he breaks the law or violates the terms of the sentence agreement, Nanez will be back in prison for the rest of the sentence.
Ferguson announced the prosecution in November 2023, after Nanez was found to have stolen and sold nearly $150,000 of merchandise to a third party. A release from Ferguson's office said Nanez committed 28 thefts between April and June 2022.
“This conviction is the first of many in our effort to combat a significant and growing problem in Washington,” Ferguson said in a release. “We will continue holding accountable offenders who engage in these sophisticated crimes that harm businesses, workers and our economy.”
Washington is one of 10 states that operates a task force dedicated to organized retail crime. The task force had its second prosecution in February of a woman accused of dozens of thefts at Ulta stores in six different Washington counties.
In early May, the Bellevue Police Department announced it arrested four teens who stole over $100,000 of merchandise from a high-end store and carjacked a woman at gunpoint.
The National Retail Association estimated thieves stole $2.7 billion of merchandise from Washington businesses in 2023.
