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A bicycle-riding thief who went viral last year when video footage of him robbing a Walgreens in San Francisco and then riding out of the retail store with a large bag of stolen merchandise made the rounds on social media was sentenced Monday to 16 months in prison.
Jean Lugo Romero pleaded guilty to felony grand theft, misdemeanor petty theft and received a year of probation in addition to the jail term, San Francisco prosecutors said.
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He was also ordered to stay away from two Walgreens employees, two Walgreens stores and a CVS store.
“Whether the work of organized retail theft rings or of individual suspects, the burglaries impacting our local businesses will not be tolerated,” said San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin said in a statement.
Footage of the incident shows someone on a bike throwing items into a black bag and riding by a security guard and another person filming in him an aisle. Investigators have linked Romero to other retail store robberies, including one in a CVS in which he allegedly cleared the shelves of nearly $1,000 worth of cosmetics and put the items in a duffel bag.
The Walgreens incident came as retail crime began to increase in several cities. However, San Francisco saw some of the most brazen acts of thievery.
Also announced Monday were guilty verdicts against Ahmad Shabazz for a series of petty thefts at three separate Walgreens stores. A jury found him guilty of multiple counts.
A Walgreens in San Francisco. A thief on bicycle who robbed a Walgreens and peddled out of the store as he was being filmed was sentenced to16 months in prison Monday.
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He is scheduled to be sentenced April 15. The shoplifting sprees prompted Walgreens to close multiple stores in San Francisco.
