LONG BEACH, Calif.—A 27-year-old woman pleaded not guilty July 15 to shoplifting more than 30 times from the same store, marking what the Long Beach City Prosecutor’s Office believes to be the largest single case of its kind filed in that city.
Florence Leslie Miller was charged last week with 30 misdemeanor theft charges, with an additional four counts being added since then involving four other alleged thefts at the same TJ Maxx store, according to City Prosecutor Douglas Haubert.
The criminal complaint filed last week alleges that 30 of the thefts occurred between Sept. 9, 2023, and June 13 of this year and that they involved the theft of handbags, jeans, and other items. The city prosecutor’s office said the estimated value of that allegedly stolen merchandise was about $6,000 and that anti-theft wire locks were cut to remove some of the merchandise.
The dates and amount of alleged loss involving the four newest counts were not immediately available.
In a statement announcing the case last week, Mr. Haubert said “the bold nature of the crimes is particularly alarming.”
Ms. Miller was on misdemeanor probation for theft at the time of five of the alleged crimes, according to the city prosecutor’s office.
Mr. Haubert noted that the persistence from TJ Maxx employees who filed theft reports and kept photos and videos of the incidents ultimately made the filing of the case possible, and commended the Long Beach Police Department for spending the time to piece the case together.
Ms. Miller has remained behind bars since her arrest Thursday by Long Beach police, jail records show.
