A Pahrump couple is facing theft charges for allegedly altering the price tags on 47 items at Walmart.
According to a Nye County Sheriff’s Office report, Deputy Jason Ruesch went to the retailer shortly before 3 p.m. on Sunday, August 11, after anti-theft personnel notified dispatch that the couple was scanning merchandise at the self-checkout lane and were suspected of theft.
According to the sheriff’s office, a Walmart employee confronted the couple, Francis and Linda Nicodemo, as they left the store with merchandise and escorted them to the store’s anti-theft area, where employees determined which items had been paid for.
While waiting for the employee to complete the inventory, Ruesch said he spoke to the couple about the crime and the penalties associated with the alleged crime.
Retail crime
Altering price tags is a form of shoplifting as retail crime continues to rise in the US
In 2023, a whopping 13 percent of small business owners reported that they are victims of shoplifting every day. One in five business owners surveyed said that merchandise is typically stolen several times a week. Only five percent of U.S. respondents said they experience no theft at all in their stores.
“After completing the inventory, the employee informed me that there were numerous items with price tags that had been replaced with cheaper items,” Ruesch’s report states. “When I checked Walmart’s CCTV system, I saw both Francis and Linda in the meat department replacing price tags and placing cheaper tags on more expensive meat.”
Ruesch said a Walmart employee issued a receipt for 47 items totaling $600.62.
Bail was set at $3,000 each for both.
Contact reporter Selwyn Harris at [email protected]. On X: @pvtimes
