DA Nathan Hochman Unveils Major Enforcement Effort Targeting Organized Retail Theft
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman announced that his office has filed more than 1,000 felony charges since December under a new state law targeting repeat retail theft offenders, marking one of the most aggressive enforcement efforts in California since voters approved Proposition 36 last year.
The measure, which passed overwhelmingly in November 2024, revised existing laws to allow prosecutors to charge repeat petty theft offenses as felonies. Previously, thefts under $950 were classified as misdemeanors, even for serial offenders, unless the crime involved violence or aggravating circumstances.
“Retail theft has plagued our communities for too long,” Hochman said in a statement. “With Proposition 36 now in effect, we are using every tool available to hold repeat offenders accountable and protect businesses.”
Among the cases highlighted by Hochman’s office is that of Corry Summerville, 38, who faces 12 felony counts for allegedly stealing from the same West Los Angeles 7-Eleven on 12 separate occasions between January and March of this year. Summerville, who had two prior theft convictions and was on probation at the time, is also charged with felony robbery for an earlier 2022 incident involving force against a store employee.
The case is being investigated by the LAPD’s West Los Angeles Division.
Prosecutors have also filed charges in larger-scale operations. In one case, Alexandro Mojico, Jacqueline Galicia, and Hertsel Enayati were charged with 28 felonies, including grand theft and organized retail theft. Authorities allege the group stole nearly $42,000 worth of circuit breakers and other merchandise from Home Depot and Lowe’s locations across Los Angeles County. That case is being led by the California Highway Patrol’s Organized Retail Crime Task Force.
Hochman emphasized the collaborative nature of the crackdown, crediting joint task forces involving LAPD, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, CHP, and federal partners for making arrests that have resulted in millions of dollars in merchandise being recovered since January.
To bolster deterrence efforts, the DA’s office is distributing 10,000 warning decals to businesses throughout the county. The stickers, which can be displayed in storefronts, are intended to signal that theft crimes will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
More information on how retailers can obtain decals and report incidents is available at da.lacounty.gov/operations/retailtheft.
