Chicago Man Faces Felony after Thousands of Stolen Shoes Found in Warehouse (Cook County, IL) – A 26-year-old Chicago man is facing a Class 1 Felony Theft charge after the Sheriff’s Police Organized Retail Crime Unit recovered thousands of suspected stolen shoes from a West Side warehouse, Cook County Sheriff Thomas J. Dart announced today.
In January, Cook County Sheriff’s Office, Organized Retail Crime investigators learned that a large number of stolen Nike shoes were being stored at a warehouse in the 1500 block of South Western Avenue. Investigators determined the warehouse was being sub-leased by an individual named Erick Lujano Bautista, of the 0-100 block of East Randolph Street.
On Jan. 31, investigators executed a search warrant at the warehouse, where they recovered approximately $1 million worth of Nike and New Balance shoes believed to be stolen.
Both shoe companies continue to work with Sheriff’s Police to determine the status of the remaining items. Lujano Bautista was not an authorized seller of either brand.
On Feb. 1, the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office approved a Class 1 Felony Theft charge against Lujano Bautista. On February 2nd during his initial appearance hearing at George N. Leighton Criminal Court Building, he was ordered released from custody pending trial.
Sheriff Dart formed the Organized Retail Crime Unit in 2023. Last year, the unit recovered more than $3.6 million in stolen merchandise. This will bring the total amount of recovered stolen merchandise to over 4.5 million in the last 9 months.
“My office – aided by financial support from Attorney General Kwame Raoul – will continue to aggressively pursue organized retail crime organizations, which have been shown to fund other illegal activity,” Sheriff Dart said.
The public is reminded that defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Chicago Man Faces Felony after Thousands of Stolen Shoes Found in Warehouse
