2 Rhode Island men charged in $12M organized retail theft scheme

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — Two Rhode Island men were arrested Monday for their alleged roles in a “multimillion-dollar organized theft ring ” that targeted major retailers nationwide, U.S. Attorney Zachary Cunha announced.

Norman L. Cipriano, 52, of Warwick, and Patrick M. Vigneau, 59, of Cranston, are facing federal charges including interstate transportation of stolen goods, conspiracy to commit interstate transportation of stolen goods, money laundering, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and engaging in monetary transactions involving property derived from unlawful activity.

According to court documents , Cipriano and Vigneau are accused of raking in nearly $12.3 million by reselling goods stolen from various stores to other retailers and private citizens. The stores that were targeted include Walmart, Stop & Shop, CVS and The Home Depot.

Watch the news conference below:

This follows a seizure Wednesday of approximately 60,000 stolen items, court documents said. The items were primarily over-the-counter medications and cosmetics and had an estimated total value of $1.6 million.

Investigators searched both suspects’ homes, along with two storage units in Pawtucket.

Court documents describe the pair as high-level “diverters” in the organized theft ring, responsible for setting up shell companies, owning warehouses for stolen merchandise and supplying smaller retail chains.

As diverters, Cipriano and Vigneau allegedly received stolen goods and sold them in bulk on sites like eBay, Walmart and Amazon. Prosecutors said they used third-party payment systems like PayPal, linking them to bank accounts to avoid detection.

The men allegedly operated under various storefront names, including “Angie’s Discount Store” on eBay and “JDC Wholesale LLC” on Amazon.

So far, Cunha said investigators have seized enough stolen goods to fill three 24-foot box trucks, along with more than two dozen boxes in transit via UPS. Authorities have also frozen several bank and e-commerce accounts.

Court records show Cipriano was convicted in Rhode Island in 2005 for conspiracy and receiving stolen goods. He served a six-year term, then was convicted again in 2013 for trafficking counterfeit goods and sentenced to 50 months in federal prison.

In 1998, Vigneau was convicted by a federal jury on charges of engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise, possession with intent to distribute marijuana and conspiring to commit money laundering. He was released from federal prison in 2020 and is currently on supervised release.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to NewsNation.