Store Employee Arrested for Knowingly Purchasing Stolen Merchandise

A five-month long investigation by Fraud Unit detectives and Madison Precinct undercover detectives with the assistance of Madison Precinct Community Engagement Team officers resulted in Thursday’s arrest of Reyes Bibiano-Sarabia, 39, for knowingly purchasing stolen merchandise.

Madison Precinct detectives developed information that Bibiano-Sarabia, an employee of El Rodeo Mercado Latino, 1408 Gallatin Pike N, was purchasing stolen merchandise. After further investigation, in cooperation with retail partners Kroger, Home Depot, Lowes, T.J. Maxx, JCPenney, Walmart, and Walgreens, detectives learned that Bibiano-Sarabia wrote out “shopping lists” of items he was looking to acquire for himself. The actual store owner/management was unaware of that Bibiano-Sarabia was purchasing these items for a fraction of their value. He would then take the merchandise home.

Undercover detectives “sold” large amounts of new-in-box merchandise, with some items in tamper proof anti-theft devices, for less than ten cents on the dollar after clearly presenting the items as stolen.

In addition to Bibiano-Sarabia the following shoplifters, all of Nashville, were charged with theft of merchandise:

• Jonathan McKinney, 48,
• Jonathan Rose, 25,
• James William Beach, 48,
• Alison Doty, 48,
• Thomas Tomlin, 35.

Bibiano-Sarabia is free on $15,000 bond.