Woman accused of shoplifting from the same store dozens of times now faces felony charges

The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office has added felony charges against a woman who was already facing dozens of misdemeanor theft counts for allegedly shoplifting over and over from the same TJ Maxx.

Over the last eight months, 27-year-old Florence Leslie Miller repeatedly went to the Long Beach store and walked out with handbags, clothes, belts or other items, prosecutors allege.

Miller would typically steal items worth less than $950, meaning they did not amount to felony crimes, according to authorities.

She would leave before officers could arrive but inevitably return to steal something again, sometimes on the same day or the next day, according to Long Beach City Prosecutor Doug Haubert.

Haubert’s office, which handles only misdemeanor cases, has charged her with 34 theft counts, to which she’s pleaded not guilty, and on Monday, the DA’s office added one felony theft count and one count of robbery.

In the wake of this case, Long Beach City Prosecutor Doug Haubert said he’s been talking with detectives about cracking down on people like Miller, whom he believes are “habitual offenders who are taking advantage of California’s laws.”

“The truth is that there is a relatively small number of individuals who are responsible for a large number of retail thefts,” he said.

Haubert has also voiced his support for changes to state law that would increase penalties on serial thieves.

“Some of the people responsible for thefts are organized, working as part of a group that is methodically stealing from retailers, both large and small,” he said. “These are basically criminal gangs who know the law very well and are taking calculated risks because they know how broken the system has become in California.”

Others, Haubert said, are stealing to support a substance addiction. He argued that increased penalties could help push those people into treatment.