Attorney General Bob Ferguson’s Organized Retail Crime Unit has filed two new felony cases, marking a total of five prosecutions since the unit’s establishment last year. Victor J. Matt is charged in Snohomish County with theft and forgery for stealing outboard boat motors worth $58,729 using fake checks and forged documents. In King County, Jerrell Davis and Tahj Franklin face charges for stealing over $10,400 in high-end alcohol from Fred Meyer and Safeway stores.
The unit, created in 2023, offers centralized resources and coordination across jurisdictions. With nine other states having similar task forces, Washington’s unit, led by Assistant Attorney General Kent Liu, is set to bolster efforts against organized retail crime. The unit has secured its first conviction and is currently prosecuting two other cases.
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