Police have apprehended a frequent troublemaker in Manhattan who has targeted Lululemon stores multiple times this year, including six instances at one location.
Vincent Traficante, 37, described as a one-man crime spree, has been arrested twelve times this year for repeatedly targeting upscale Lululemon boutiques in Manhattan, according to law enforcement sources speaking to The Post.
Once more, he was apprehended on Tuesday inside the renowned brand's store in SoHo, where he was caught red-handed with over a dozen bags filled with costly merchandise. According to one police officer, Traficante has primarily been active on Long Island but arrived in New York in January of this year, where he has been causing chaos ever since.
The One-Man Crime Spree Charges
On Thursday, Traficante was brought before Manhattan Criminal Court and charged with two counts of third-degree burglary and one count of fourth-degree grand larceny for stealing expensive items from two separate Lululemon stores on three occasions within the past month, as stated in the complaint.
Judge Jonathan Svetkey took into account the extensive history of prior charges against the career criminal when he established Traficante's bail at $10,000 in cash, $20,000 insurance company bond, and $30,000 in bond/surety/partially secured, as reported by the Manhattan District Attorney's Office.
Series of Robbery on Long Island
In addition, Svetkey imposed a parole hold due to another attempted robbery on Long Island. However, this is only a small part of the numerous offenses committed by this persistent thief.
Traficante has accumulated nearly a dozen criminal convictions in Suffolk and Nassau counties over the past few years, including a robbery in 2020 that resulted in his incarceration, according to sources.
Since relocating to Manhattan earlier this year, sources report that he has been arrested approximately a dozen more times, seizing about $13,000 worth of upscale accessories from the fashionable retail giant. According to a frustrated law enforcement source in Manhattan, he has been continuously getting arrested left and right in Manhattan.
Traficante's Arrest
Traficante was arrested on Tuesday during his sixth attempt to steal merchandise valued between $38 and $48 each from the Broadway store. According to the complaint, he was captured on video removing items from the displays, including bags, totaling approximately $790 in value, then purportedly walking past the cashiers and vanishing into the city.
Before that incident, on March 5th, Traficante stole over $1,000 worth of merchandise from the store located at 592 Fifth Avenue. This occurred just six days after he took approximately $700 worth of items from a store at 520 Broadway, the same store he targeted on Tuesday. One source stated that he is primarily targeting bags, highlighting that he's struck 520 Broadway six times.
A Possible Black Market's Fencing Operation Scheme
Police are investigating whether Traficante is involved in a clandestine Manhattan crime ring that recruits aspiring thieves to rob the retailer in exchange for drugs, according to sources. The stolen goods are allegedly sold on the black market afterward. Police became aware of the expansive athleisure brand black market scheme after apprehending three individuals between January and March who provided information about the fencing operation, according to sources. One of the suspects admitted to the police that he stole drugs for a middleman who instructed others to steal merchandise in return for narcotics.
According to law enforcement sources, the police focus on an individual who has been stealing a considerable amount of Lululemon merchandise and then selling it in Washington Square Park, near a known fencing operation on McDougal Street.
In January, authorities discovered another fencing operation in Manhattan's Chinatown, sources informed The Post. An individual was reportedly purchasing stolen Lululemon items on Mott and Grand streets.
