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Hartford resident Jahliil Parrott, also known as “Stretch,” age 24, of Windsor, was sentenced by US District Judge Vanessa L. Bryant in Hartford to 30 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release “for participating in an extensive commercial larceny spree,” US Attorney Vanessa Roberts Avery announced.
Avery said that Parrott’s arrest and sentence came as part of "Operation American Steal,” a long-term multi-agency investigation into “grab-and-go” thefts from fashion stores in Connecticut and nearby states.
According to prosecutors, “a ‘grab-and-go’ scheme “is a type of theft where one or more perpetrators enter a retail store, grab as many items of clothing or other goods as they can carry, leave the store without paying for the merchandise, and depart in a waiting getaway vehicle."
Between 2019 and 2020, Parrott was among several other suspects who committed more than 50 thefts from these stores in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, and New York:
- Polo Ralph Lauren;
- T.J. Maxx;
- Balenciaga;
- Burberry;
- Macy’s;
- Marshalls;
- Dick’s Sporting Goods;
- Tommy Hilfiger;
- Sephora.
Once the items were stolen, they were transported back to Connecticut, Avery said, where they were sold on the street or on the Internet.
In total, the retailers suffered losses topping $100,000 during the scheme. According to Avery, Parrott participated in at least 34 of those thefts, resulting in losses of more than $98,000.
Avery said that on Sept. 15, 2020, Parrott was charged alongside seven others in a six-count indictment for their roles in the theft scheme. He pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to transport and possess stolen property in November 2020.
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