2 sentenced for stealing nearly $141K in AirPods, removing them from boxes, then returning for cash
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On Wednesday, the Cherokee County District Attorney's Office announced that Ebony Fallon Washington (aka Stephanie Harris), 43, and Melissa Holland (aka Keisha Wilson), 46, both of New York, pleaded guilty to three counts of violating Georgia's Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act.
The pair was sentenced to 20 years each, with the first 10 years to be served in prison.
The sentencing stems from an investigation that began in June 2022.
According to court documents, from June 2022 through August 2024, the pair stole nearly $141,000 in merchandise in 187 incidents in 21 states, including Georgia.
The pair went to stores all around the metro Atlanta area including Acworth, Adel, Austell, Buford, Calhoun, Columbus, Conyers, Covington, Cumming, Dallas, Fayetteville, Flowery Branch, Fort Oglethorpe, Grovetown, Hampton, Hiram, Holly Springs, Kennesaw, LaFayette, Macon, Marietta, McDonough, Milton, Norcross, Rockmart, Roswell, Smyrna, Stockbridge, Tifton, Trion, and Woodstock.
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The DA said the women would purchase AirPods with cash, remove the real products from their boxes, replace them with less valuable items, reseal the packaging to appear unopened, and return the fake products for full cash refunds.
Officials said the pair kept the real Apple products to resell for profit.
Prosecutors say they began investigating in May 2024, when Walmart Global Investigations met with the Gang and Organized Crime Unit of the DA's office to discuss a large theft ring involving both Walmart and Target.
In September 2024, law enforcement agencies caught and arrested the pair in Coweta County.
Officers said they found key evidence from the women's rental car, including receipts for hotels near the stores targeted in the scheme and tools to open the AirPods boxes. Authorities said they also discovered five cell phones used by the pair.
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Both women are also ordered to pay a $134,951.86 in restitution, which is the remaining balance after the value of recovered merchandise was deducted from the total theft amount.
As part of their probation, they are to have no contact with each other; they are banned from all Walmart and Target locations, cannot enter Cherokee County, and are required to complete 320 hours of community service.
'Organized retail crime is a growing problem not only in our community, but nationwide. In Cherokee County, we judiciously use RICO indictments for individuals like these defendants who were clearly involved in an organized scheme which impacted stores locally as well as throughout the country,' said District Attorney Susan K. Treadaway.
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