East Bay man charged in connection with Santa Clara mob retail thefts

SAN JOSE >> A 19-year-old Pittsburg man has been charged in connection with two smash-and-grab burglaries of a South Bay sneaker store late last year, prosecutors said.

Gregory Jefferson was set to be arraigned Tuesday on charges related to organized retail theft, commercial burglary, grand theft and possession of stolen property and assault weapons, the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office said in a news release.

Prosecutors said Jefferson was among a group of 18 people who forced their way into the Fix Kicks store at the Santa Clara Town Center around 1 a.m. on Nov. 23.

The suspects used a 9 mm firearm to break into the store and stole $80,000 worth of merchandise, prosecutors said. Five days later, a group of 28 people allegedly sawed through a metal gate and stole $112,000 worth of merchandise from the store.

Fix Kicks was forced to change its business model as a result of the burglaries, prosecutors said.

“Since November, the store has closed the retail location and is only conducting online sales,” prosecutors said.

Santa Clara police Detective Adam Wilson investigated the smash-andgrab burglaries and identified Jefferson as an “active participant” in both of them, prosecutors said.

Jefferson was arrested this month in Pittsburg. Inside his home, officers found 30 boxes of highend sneakers, clothing and hangars with the store’s name on them, prosecutors said.

“They also seized a ghost gun assault weapon with a 30-round magazine loaded with ammunition,” prosecutors said.

Ghost guns do not have serial numbers and cannot be traced.

In a statement, Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen noted that organized retail thefts in the Bay Area received significant attention over the holidays.

“Now,” he said, “I hope there will be attention on the determined and ongoing efforts of law enforcement to stop, arrest and prosecute them.”