Attorney General Kris Mayes announced on May 12 that Jared Duke was sentenced to six and a half years in prison for his role in an organized retail theft and trafficking case involving approximately $10 million in stolen merchandise. The sentencing follows an investigation by the Arizona Attorney General’s Office Special Agents, Department of Homeland Security Investigators, and local retail loss prevention partners.
The case highlights ongoing efforts to address large-scale retail crime impacting local businesses. “We don’t tolerate retail theft in Arizona,” said Attorney General Mayes. “These crimes aren’t victimless, they hurt local businesses and drive up costs for all of us. Those who engage in organized retail crime will be held accountable under the law.”
Investigators identified Duke as a booster within the enterprise, determining he received $22,597.25 from a fencing location and linking him to about $4,849.60 in known thefts from area retailers. On March 31, Duke pled guilty to two counts of Organized Retail Theft, two counts of Trafficking in Stolen Property in the Second Degree, and one count of Illegally Conducting an Enterprise.
Duke was sentenced on April 30 to serve his term with the Arizona Department of Corrections and ordered to pay restitution totaling $4,849.60 to victims named by loss prevention partners. Other co-defendants have been charged but are presumed innocent until convicted; their cases remain pending.
The prosecution was led by Assistant Attorneys General Matthew McCray and Michael Lester.
The Arizona Attorney General’s Office serves as the state’s chief legal office with responsibilities including addressing elder abuse, civil rights violations, unsolved crimes through its cold case unit, federal action lawsuits participation, fair housing initiatives, accountability measures for social media companies, advocacy services statewide and community protection across Arizona according to the official website. Kris Mayes is noted as Arizona’s 27th attorney general and is recognized as the first mother to hold this position.
