FBI partners with Michigan initiative that busted Target KitchenAid mixer thief, Sam's Club theft suspect
DETROIT (FOX 2) - The FBI recently partnered with an initiative that has busted big retail thieves in Michigan, including a man who stole more than $20,000 in KitchenAid mixers from Target.
Attorney General Dana Nessel established the FORCE Team in January in an effort to stop organized retail crime in the state.
Last week, the team secured a conviction against Brian Roussey, 31, of Farmington Hills. For two years, authorities say Roussey walked out of Metro Detroit Target stores with mixers worth upwards of $500 that he would then resell on Facebook Marketplace.
The FORCE Team also recently led an investigation that resulted in a suspected Sam's Club thief being arrested. In that case, 64-year-old Kevin Tansil is accused of walking out of Sam's Club stores in Auburn Hills, Grand Blanc, Lansing, and Ypsilanti with carts full of stolen merchandise, including electronics, seafood, and liquor.
Detroit man accused of walking out of Michigan Sam's Club stores with carts full of liquor, seafood, more
A Detroit man is accused of walking out of multiple Michigan Sam's Club stores with carts full of stolen merchandise, including electronics, seafood, and liquor, authorities said.
Authorities say the group he was allegedly part of may be responsible for stealing more than $80,000 worth of items with the intent to sell them.
Tansil was charged earlier this month with five counts of organized retail fraud.
"The addition of the federal authorities to the investigations already underway by our first-in-the-nation team including my department and the Michigan State Police is significant. Our FORCE Team has been pursuing wide-reaching investigations that have already produced multiple charges in just its first months of operation, and this partnership will considerably strengthen the team," Nessel said.
One special agent from the FBI’s Detroit Fraud and Financial Crimes Task Force will be assigned to the FORCE Team. The team also includes two assistant attorneys general, Michigan State Police detectives, and special agents from the Department of Attorney General’s Criminal Investigations Division.