A female Sears clerk has been charged with allegedly stealing and selling goods worth $3.7 million from one of New Jersey's department store warehouses, NJ.com reported. The ongoing investigation is now looking for other suspects who might possibly have been involved in the major operation.
Kim Watson, from Clementon, was arrested on Friday after a long-term investigation was conducted by the Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office, Logan police and Sears' loss prevention team.
The 32-year-old had apparently been accepting cash payments and barter services in exchange for providing customers with high-end merchandise stolen from the Sears Distribution Center in Logan Township, N.J., detectives heading the investigation said.
The missing merchandise included everything from bedding to kitchen appliances, which would finally be cashed through a network of people around the New York tri-state area, police said.
The haul totaled roughly $3.7 million at retail prices, leaving the Sears company with a net loss of about $2.6 million, according to UK MailOnline.
After being charged with second degree theft, Watson was held at Salem County Jail in default of a $50,000 bail.
Meanwhile, the investigation was ongoing, said Captain Robert Leash from Logan police.
"We are still looking into this," he said. "We know she had a network. She didn't do this alone, and these people knew they were receiving stolen goods."
