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Cuong Nam Ly, 33, and Chung Nam Ly, 31, face hundreds of felony charges related to an alleged conspiracy that operated throughout Berks, Bucks, Delaware, Luzerne, Montgomery, and Philadelphia counties, said the Montco District Attorney's Office.
Investigators believe the Lys would buy products from Home Depot and Lowes, often online, before applying barcodes for more expensive items to the packaging.
They would then bring the goods into the store and return them for more money than they were worth, according to authorities.
Other times, prosecutors say the brothers would buy items and then return them after removing the "high-value battery or charger," which they allegedly sold on Facebook Marketplace for cash.
Authorities said the brothers stole at least $200,000 from stores across six counties.
Police said they found multiple stolen items, including some with fraudulent barcodes, while executing a pair of search warrants against the Lys.
“These two defendants were operating a high-volume organized retail theft ring that caused the targeted businesses to suffer significant losses, both through the thefts themselves and through the loss of customers who bought stolen merchandise from the defendants via online marketplaces,” said DA Kevin Steele.
“We are focused on Organized Retail Theft Rings as these criminal activities are a significant loss for any business to withstand on an ongoing basis.”
Both brothers face more than 200 felony counts related to the thefts, prosecutors said.
Their bail was set at $75,000 each, and both Lys have a preliminary hearing scheduled for Oct. 13, according to court records.
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