Phoenix mom accused of buying stolen items, involving her kids in reselling merchandise

A Phoenix woman was arrested last week on suspicion of buying items shoplifted from area stores and involving her children in reselling the trafficked merchandise from her home, police say.

Alma Benitez, 35, is suspected of being involved in the theft of laundry detergent, baby formula, shampoo, liquor and batteries from Walmart, Fry's and Target stores, court documents said.

She would buy the items from shoplifters and then resell them online for less than a quarter of the retail price, police said.

Police say she involved her three children, ages 9, 14, and 16, in the sale of the trafficked items. Benitez bought items that undercover detectives told her were stolen on nine separate occasions, according to court documents.

She allegedly told the undercover detectives that she had been buying and reselling stolen items for eight years, although Phoenix police first heard of her activity in the summer of 2015.

During an investigation by the Commercial Crimes Detail, Benitez routinely brought her kids with her to buy shoplifted items, police said.

Benitez brought her 9-year-old son with her twice when she bought stolen property from undercover detectives May 30 and June 5, court documents said. Detectives also saw her children pay for stolen items with money from her purse on other occasions.

Benitez’s two daughters told a detective their mother had them speak with customers through social media apps, even if the customers were strangers. The girls said that even if their mother wasn’t home, she expected them to give customers directions to their residence and sell the stolen merchandise themselves.

Court documents said Benitez has six dependents and a net income of $388 from public assistance, such as food stamps.

She was arrested on suspicion of trafficking in stolen property and illegal control of enterprise.