‘Prolific’ Union Square burglar charged: SF DA

SAN FRANCISCO ( KRON ) — A 49-year-old man who is accused of stealing nearly $18,000 in merchandise from retail stores across San Francisco was charged with 21 total counts of commercial burglary, grand theft and shoplifting, San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins announced Thursday.

Mark Farmer, 49, took part in numerous retail thefts in Union Square and other locations in the city, the district attorney’s office said. Farmer’s alleged thefts date back to December 2023.

Altogether, nearly $18,000 in goods were stolen from Bloomingdales, Lululemon, Gap and Athleta, according to the DA’s office.

Farmer was arrested by the San Francisco Police Department on Sept. 18 and is being charged with:

• Six counts of second-degree commercial burglary
• Four counts of grand theft
• 11 counts of shoplifting

A bail amount of $100,000 was set by the court, and Farmer remains in custody as of Thursday morning, the DA’s office said.

“I would like to thank the San Francisco Police Department for their investigation and continued efforts to address retail theft,” Jenkins said in a news release. “My office takes these cases seriously and will not allow us to lose ground and regress to an era where … fighting these crimes was not prioritized.”

The case remains active, and anyone with information is asked to contact the San Francisco Police Department tip line at (415)-575-4444 or text a tip to TIP411 and start the message with SFPD.

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