Attorney General Now Investigating String Of Fur Coat Thefts
DENVER (CBS4) - The investigation into a string of fur thefts in Denver, Boulder, Vail and Aspen is now being facilitated by the Colorado Attorney General's Office.
About $200,000 worth of merchandise was stolen from at least four high-end stores in February, and authorities believe the same two thieves are responsible. One of the multiple agencies investigating the thefts reached out to the office of Attorney General Cynthia Coffman asking her to step in, according to spokesman Roger Hudson.
"Our assistance began immediately," Hudson told CBS4's Kelly Werthmann, adding their investigation is "very active."
MAX Clothing in Cherry Creek North was among the first stores hit last month. Co-owner Scott Seale said he knew the duo caught on camera were not "small-time shoplifters."
"They shuffled the merchandise from rack to rack and then within the racks," Seale said. "One would hold the clothing up while the other would stuff the merchandise up the back of his coat and into his backpack."
About $20,000 worth of clothing and accessories were taken from the Denver store on Feb. 13. The very next day, a similarly dressed man and woman were caught on camera stealing a $35,000 coat from a fur shop in Vail. Not long after it happened again in Aspen.
"I am in contact with some of the store owners," Seale said. "We compare notes and it's the same descriptions and same methods that they used to steal the merchandise."
Some 2,000 miles away in New York, six fur shops were hit by a man and woman in late 2015. Again, the suspects were caught on camera as a woman distracted a store employee as the man shoved a fur item under his coat and into a backpack. The New York Police Department is teaming up with authorities in Colorado in hopes of tracking down the thieves they believe are responsible for all of the high-end heists.
"Besides the obvious that this affects small business, this affects families," Seale said.
Fur store owners in Colorado and New York say the thieves had thick accents, possibly from Eastern Europe. One of the store owners in Manhattan told WCBS she learned from investigators the suspects could be living in Queens, New York.
Kelly Werthmann joined the CBS4 team in 2012 as the morning reporter, covering national stories like the Aurora Theater Shooting and devastating Colorado wildfires. She now reports for CBS4 News at 10 and is always open to story ideas. Connect with her on Facebook or Twitter @KellyCBS4.
