A woman described by the San Francisco district attorney’s office as a prolific retail thief is facing multiple charges in connection with more than 100 thefts from Target that total more than $40,000 in value, district attorney’s officials said Wednesday.
Aziza Graves has been charged with 8 felony counts of grand theft and 120 misdemeanor counts of petty theft in thefts of items from the Stonestown Target store between October 2020 to November 2021, district attorney’s officials said. Graves was arrested by San Francisco police at the Stonestown Target location on Tuesday, authorities said.
The woman’s arrest is the result of an operation conducted by the district attorney’s office, Boudin said in tweet on Wednesday morning. San Francisco city officials in September unveiled a plan to respond to reports of retail theft in the city, and district attorney’s officials said Graves arrest and subsequent charging is part of the office’s “commitment to the Organized Retail Theft Taskforce.”
Boudin told The Chronicle the arrest is the first step in what will be a “whole series of arrests” related to the district attorney’s office ongoing retail theft operations, adding that they are handling more than half a dozen active investigations.
Boudin said Graves stole laundry detergent, among other items, that are frequently stolen and resold for profit. Grand theft refers to “money, labor, or real or personal property taken” with a value exceeding $950, according to the California Legislative Information website.
He said his office is committed “to stopping those who participate in organized retail theft, including by dismantling the fencing networks that make this type of crime profitable.”
Target’s Asset Protection Team had reached out to the district attorney’s office and asked authorities to investigate Graves, district attorney’s officials said.
San Francisco police Chief Bill Scott described the suspect as a “particularly brazen and prolific retail theft offender.” Authorities said “in nearly all” of the alleged thefts at Target Stonestown, Graves used self-checkout kiosks after choosing merchandise from the store floor.
“She reportedly scanned the items and then submitted a nominal cash payment of one dollar, or in some instances, one cent,” district attorneys officials said, adding that Graves would then leave the store without completing each transaction.
Scott said he hopes this case “sends a strong message to would-be shoplifters that their lawless conduct won’t be tolerated in San Francisco.”
Graves is expected to be formally arraigned on charges on Thursday, Boudin said.
Lauren Hernández is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: lauren.hernandez@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ByLHernandez