Recently in Theft / Robbery Category

In the movies, brazen thieves typically hide their identities with costume masks of presidents or clowns. In real life, one clever thief decided to go a little more inconspicuous as a Walmart worker, allowing him to stroll out of the Palmdale store with four flat screen TVs, reports CBS Los Angeles.

The daring stunt occurred during New Year's Eve when stores were packed with last-minute shoppers. The suspect reportedly dressed as a Walmart greeter, wearing everything from the signature blue vest to a name badge, according to investigators who believe they caught the thief on tape.

We love the holiday season: the cheer, the smiling faces, the brightly wrapped packages tied up with string. But we know it's not always merry and bright, especially when it comes to Black Friday.

From grumpy shoppers to would-be thieves, there are Grinches out there ready to make your holiday a not-so-jolly one. Lucky for you, we have some Black Friday safety tips to help you get through the busiest shopping day of the year with you and your packages intact.

Actress Jodie Foster may have one of the most successful film careers in Hollywood, but it hasn’t stopped her kin from turning to a life of crime. Prosecutors charged the A-list actress’ estranged father, Lucius Fisher Foster III, with grand theft on Thursday for allegedly scamming San Fernando Valley investors out of more than $100,000, reports CBS Los Angeles.

The elder Foster, a building contractor, is accused of taking a $50,000 deposit from each of the victims under the guise that he would custom-build an $85,000 three-bedroom home for each of them. He reportedly also dropped his famous daughter’s name to build trust with at least half of them, according to Deputy City Attorney Don Cocek.

Baseball great Lenny Dykstra is slowly trying to put his multiple legal troubles behind him. The former Major League Baseball All-Star agreed to a plea deal with prosecutors, changing his not guilty plea to pleading no contest to auto theft charges and filing a false statement, reports CNN. Twenty-one other charges were dismissed against him in the deal.

The former “Wild Boy” of baseball who led the New York Mets to a World Series championship has been leading the field in criminal charges for an ex-baseball player. He originally pleaded not guilty in January to charges that included attempted grand theft auto, identity theft, and possession of a controlled substance in connection with a scheme to defraud two car dealerships.

With this plea deal, Dykstra avoids the possibility of an additional eight years in prison.

Taking a page from the infamous “Miss Cleo,” another “psychic” has been accused of stealing money from a client. This time, a Palmdale psychic has been arrested for scaring a 12-year-old girl into committing jewelry theft by threatening her with a curse, reports the Los Angeles Times.

Jackeline Lopez, a supposed fortune teller who conducted readings in her garage, allegedly told the girl that a curse had been placed on her and could be removed for a price. The girl reportedly stole over $10,000 worth of jewelry from her parents’ home over the course of a month under Lopez’s encouragement, according to the Los Angeles County sheriff’s office.

UCLA basketball’s Jerime Anderson has allegedly gone from stealing balls on the court to stealing laptops off it, reports the Los Angeles Times.

According to UCLA Campus police, Grimes was arrested Tuesday for suspicion of grand theft. He was later released on $20,000 bail for the grand theft charge.

Police were able to hunt down a stolen MacBook Pro to the athlete’s possession using a tracking device installed in the laptop.

A Los Angeles judge won't take multi-million dollar movie deals as an excuse - either she steps it up with her community service hours or Lindsay Lohan may have her probation revoked, reports the Los Angeles Times.

L.A. Superior Court Judge Stephanie Sautner isn't giving the movie and pop princess any leeway in her probation terms and found Lohan's progress to date unacceptable. Since her sentencing in May for misdemeanor theft after she pleaded no contest to stealing a $2,500 necklace, Lohan has only completed 33 of the 480 hours of community service she must finish. This includes serving four days out of 45 at a skid row women's center and 15 at the county coroner's office.

Living within one’s means is a good lesson for anyone to learn; however, for the men and women who are sworn to uphold the law, it has become even more necessary to emphasize.

A recently-released report from the County of Los Angeles’ Office of Independent Review, a civilian oversight group monitoring L.A.’s Sheriff’s Department, has revealed an increase in serious, financial crime allegations against deputies last year and says it may be linked to overtime cuts, reports the Los Angeles Times.

If you're worried that your luggage will be stolen at an airport when traveling, then perhaps you're not being completely irrational. Los Angeles Daily Breeze reports that a TSA officer was arrested this week after allegedly stealing numerous items belonging to passengers at LAX Airport.

The suspect Paul Yashou, who worked as a TSA officer in Terminal 1, has been accused of taking $30,000 worth of items from suitcases. Yashou's arrest comes just after 31-year-old Ryan Driscoll's arrest in May. Driscoll reportedly used to work as a TSA employee in Terminal 6 of LAX, but was arrested after allegedly stealing from a suitcase.

While actress Lindsay Lohan still claims that she never took anything from a Venice jeweler intentionally earlier this year, she entered a no contest plea to a misdemeanor theft charge on Wednesday morning. The Los Angeles Times reports that the actress didn't even have to show up to court to plead no contest. Instead, Lohan's criminal defense attorney appeared at the LAX Airport Courthouse to enter the plea on her behalf.

Once again, it looks like Lohan has managed to avoid more jail time for her criminal behavior with this case. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Stephanie Sautner put Lohan on three years of probation and ordered her to attend shoplifting counseling for the theft conviction.