STUART, Fla. — Two individuals have been accused of engaging in organized retail theft and grand theft following allegations from the Attorney General’s Office. The accusations state that they have unlawfully taken merchandise exceeding a value of $10,000 from various Walgreens stores across the state.
The Office of Statewide Prosecution, overseen by Attorney General Ashley Moody, asserts that Erica Armbrister and Andre Williams pilfered merchandise totaling over $10,000, including items such as Prevagen, from eight different Walgreens outlets.
According to investigators, the period between September 2022 and January 2023 saw Armbrister and Williams carry out thefts in multiple cities where Walgreens stores are located. These cities include Cooper City, Hollywood, Jensen Beach, Melbourne, North Fort Myers, St. Petersburg, Stuart, and Valrico.
The Attorney General’s Office also reports that Walgreens in Martin County experienced a theft of Prevagen products amounting to over $1,200.
Investigations reveal that the pair would enter the stores together, with one acting as a lookout while the other discreetly placed stolen goods into bags or concealed them within their coats.
They utilized a key to unlock security containers and cases, thus gaining access to the merchandise. The stolen items were later sold to pawn shops in exchange for cash.
Erica Armbrister faces charges of two counts of organized retail theft and six counts of grand theft. On the other hand, Andre Williams is charged with one count of organized retail theft and two counts of grand theft, as indicated by the Attorney General’s Office.
The Office of Statewide Prosecution is set to handle the legal proceedings related to this case.
Attorney General Ashley Moody remarked, “These criminal partners believed they could successfully make off with merchandise valued at more than $10,000 from a total of eight Walgreens stores spread across the state.
However, their assumptions were incorrect. Florida upholds the principles of law and order, and now these defendants are confronted with significant felony charges.”
