They sure like to bargain.
Two Colorado men convicted of felony theft for stealing more than $2,000 worth of merchandise from a Kohl’s department store are trying to get a deal with lesser charges — because some of the items they stole are on sale.
Michael Green, 50, and Byron Bolden, 37, were formally sentenced this month after being convicted of shoplifting at a Kohl’s in Parker, a town about 25 miles southeast of Denver.
Byron Bolden (left) and Michael Green (right) were arrested after they were caught on store surveillance footage. 18th Judicial District Attorney’s Office
They stole designer shoes, clothes, and various high-end kitchen appliances — earning them the nickname “The Kitchen Mixer Crew” according to prosecutors.
The man, identified through store surveillance footage, initially pleaded not guilty.
Later in the trial, “their defense attorneys suggested to the jury that their clients should only face lesser misdemeanor charges because some of the items they stole were offered ‘for sale,'” the district attorney’s office said.
In Colorado, theft under $2,000 is a misdemeanor while theft between $2,000 and $5,000 is a Class 6 felony. The items the couple removed totaled $2,094.98.
Green was sentenced to 15 months in prison. The 18th Judicial District Attorney’s Office sentenced Bolden to 90 days in jail with credit for time served as a condition of 18 months of probation. 18th Judicial District Attorney’s Office
“Just because an item is ‘sold’ doesn’t mean it’s free to steal, and these defendants can now think about this lesson in jail and prison,” said District Attorney John Kellner.
“Retailers in our community are fed up with theft and my office will actively prosecute these offenders.”
The jury eventually convicted the pair of felony theft.
Green was sentenced to 15 months in prison, but he is currently in the Department of Corrections on a separate conviction.
Kohls employees dubbed the pair of thieves the “Kitchen Crew.” Google Maps
Bolden was sentenced to 90 days in jail with credit for time served as a condition of 18 months of probation.
Retail theft has increased in recent years, according to data collected in the 2023 National Retail Security Survey by the Loss Prevention Research Council and the National Retail Federation.
Total retail losses due to theft rose to $112.1 billion in 2022, up 19 percent from 2021, when nationwide retail losses totaled $93.9 billion.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
