Mom, dad, daughter accused in $7 million shoplift spree

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CHICAGO (AP) — A father, mother and daughter from a posh
Chicago suburb stole $7 million in merchandise during a decadelong
shoplifting spree — traveling to stores nationwide and targeting dolls,
toys, cosmetics and other valuables — according to a federal complaint
released Wednesday.
The three were arrested earlier this week at
their $1.3 million Northbrook home after returning from a three-day trip
through Oklahoma, Texas and Louisiana, where authorities say they
shoplifted from stores. Working in tandem, the family traveled from
their Chicago-area residence to hit businesses in multiple states,
including Maryland, Tennessee and Florida, according to the 20-page
complaint.
Branko Bogdanov, 58, Lela Bogdanov, 52, and their
34-year-old daughter, Julia Bogdanov, are charged with one count each of
interstate transportation of stolen property. They made initial
appearances Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Chicago, but did not
enter pleas; they’ll be held at least until a detention hearing next
week. Someone who answered a phone at their Northbrook residence
declined any comment
Lela Bogdanov frequently donned a long black
skirt with large compartments sewn on the inside during the alleged
shoplifting binges and was caught on surveillance cameras leaving some
stores with her skirt looking notably fuller than when she entered, the
complaint says.
Standing in orange jail clothes Wednesday in
federal court, Lela Bogdanov wiped away tears as U.S. Magistrate Judge
Michael Mason explained her rights. She followed the proceedings through
a Romani interpreter.
An unnamed cooperating witness bought many
of the stolen items — which included everything from American Girl dolls
and Furby robotic toys to coffee and steak knives — at the Bogdanov
home, then sold them online through eBay, the complaint says. On their
own, Bogdanovs directly sold more than $690,000 in merchandise through
eBay, the complaint says.
The United States Secret Service led the
investigation after Barnes and Noble Inc. and Toys R Us Inc. contacted
the agency about what the complaint describes as "a huge loss in
merchandise." With the help of those companies and eBay, authorities
traced stolen items to an the online trading account of the cooperating
witnesses, who, in turn, agreed to help in the investigation of the
Bogdanovs.
Speaking to reporters later Wednesday, the head of the
Secret Service office in Chicago, Frank P. Benedetto, said large-scale
shoplifting ultimately hurts both stores and their consumers.
"If this type of crime continues unchecked, the costs … will be passed from the retailer to the
common shopper," he said.
A conviction on the one count of interstate transportation of stolen property carries sentence of up to
10 years.
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