A Bremerton man pleaded guilty to stealing more than $145,000 in merchandise from Target stores in King, Pierce and Kitsap counties, including the cities of Kent and Renton.
Shawn Nanez, 33, pleaded guilty in Kitsap County Superior Court to two felony counts of first-degree organized retail theft, one felony count of second-degree organized retail theft, and one felony count of first-degree theft, stemming from 28 thefts at Target stores in the three counties, according to a June 10 news release from the state Attorney General’s Office. The value of the stolen merchandise, which he later sold to a third party, totals more than $145,000.
The judge sentenced Nanez to two and a half years in prison and another two and a half years in community custody under a drug offender sentencing alternative (DOSA), meaning Nanez must also receive substance abuse treatment upon his release from prison. If Nanez violates the law or the terms of his DOSA, the state Department of Corrections can revoke the DOSA and he would serve the remainder of his sentence in prison, according to the news release.
The case is the first prosecution by Attorney General Bob Ferguson’s new Organized Retail Crime Unit, created in 2023 in partnership with the Legislature.
“This conviction is the first of many in our effort to combat a significant and growing problem in Washington,” Ferguson said. “We will continue holding accountable offenders who engage in these sophisticated crimes that harm businesses, workers and our economy.”
The details of Nanez’s thefts were virtually the same: Video footage captured Nanez, wearing a bucket hat and face mask, placing a large tote in a shopping cart, then using a tool to break into secured cases containing electronics or other high-priced items, according to the news release. Nanez then filled the tote with thousands of dollars in merchandise before leaving the store without paying.
Nanez was a known shoplifter to local loss prevention teams. In one theft incident, store employees tried to intervene and Nanez pushed them and fled with the stolen items.
Nanez committed the 28 thefts during a three-month period between April and June 2022. Four thefts at the Kent Target store and three at the Renton Target were part of the case.
After his arrest in June 2022, Nanez confessed to investigators that he routinely sold stolen merchandise to a third party in exchange for cash.
The Attorney General accepted referrals from the King and Kitsap county prosecuting attorneys’ offices to prosecute Nanez. The Attorney General’s Office does not have authority to initiate criminal investigations, unless it receives and accepts a referral from a county prosecutor or the governor.
The Kitsap County prosecutor initially charged Nanez with organized retail theft in January 2023. The Attorney General took over the prosecution in October 2023. In November 2023, Ferguson charged the defendant with the same crime for his thefts in King County. That case, as well as the Pierce County case, were moved to Kitsap County to resolve simultaneously.
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