SAN FRANCISCO—On Wednesday, June 23, the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office noted in a press release that the filing of 15 charges against Jean Lugo Romero, who is alleged to be the individual depicted in a widely-circulated video of a shoplifting at a San Francisco Walgreens last week.
Lugo Romero is also being charged in connection with seven other shoplifting-related incidents, all of which occurred between May 11 and June 19.
The San Francisco District Attorney’s Office charged the defendant with the following counts:
-Grand Theft (Penal Code 487(a)) related to a May 11, 2021 incident at a Walgreens located at 2145 Market St.;
-Second Degree Robbery (Penal Code 211) related to a May 29, 2021 incident at a Walgreens located at 300 -Gough St.;
-Second Degree Robbery (Penal Code 211) related to a May 3o, 2021 incident at a Walgreens located at 300 Gough St.;
-Second Degree Burglary (Penal Code 459) related to a May 31, 2021 incident at a Walgreens located at 300 Gough St.;
-Second Degree Robbery (Penal Code 211) related to a June 1, 2021 incident at a Walgreens located at 300 Gough St.;
-Second Degree Burglary (Penal Code 459); Grand Theft (Penal Code 487(a)); two counts of Commercial Shoplifting (Penal Code 459.5(a)); and two counts of Petty Theft (Penal Code 490.2) related to a June 14, 2021 incident at a Walgreens located at 300 Gough St.;
-Commercial Shoplifting (Penal Code 459.5(a)) and Petty Theft (Penal Code 490.2) related to a June 17, 2021 incident at a CVS located at 499 Haight St.; and
-Attempted Grand Theft (Penal Code 664/487(a) and Commercial Shoplifting (Penal Code 459.5(a)) related to a June 19, 2021 incident at a CVS located at 499 Haight St.
“Local businesses and neighborhood stores are the backbone of our community, and we are working to protect San Francisco stores and consumers,” said San Francisco District Attorney Boudin. “In addition to our prosecutions, our office is engaged in numerous strategic partnerships, dismantling the criminal networks that make these crimes profitable.”
The SFDA’s Office has a partnership with ALTO, an international organization that coordinates the loss prevention efforts of retailers, police, and prosecutors. They have been working with the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office to address retail theft in the region. When a retail crime occurs, ALTO assists retailers in filing police reports and gathering evidence. ALTO tracks cases through the prosecution process, working with prosecutors to guarantee they have the evidence need to hold criminals accountable. ALTO’s approach combines reporting, deterrent marketing, community engagement, and accountability to change criminal behaviors.
ALTO representatives praised the responsiveness of the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office in combating retail thefts.
“We commend the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office for its proactive approach to retail theft cases,” said Ray Adams, COO for ALTO USA. “The ALTO Alliance partners with law enforcement, prosecutors, and retailers around the world with the objective to break the endless cycle of recidivist retail crime offenders and in doing so, improve the community. Our partnership seeks not only to hold the people who commit this type of crime accountable, but, even more importantly, to address the root causes driving this kind of conduct, and make sure that those who are motivated by mental health or drug addiction are getting the treatment they need to not reoffend.”
The SFDA’S Office also partnered with the California Highway Patrol’s Organized Retail Crimes Task Force to disrupt, dismantle, and deter organized retail crimes and the networks that support them. The Task Force develops and shares investigative strategies between ten local, state and federal law enforcement agencies, as well as retail partners.
