PORT ANGELES — A Sequim man and his father have been charged with second-degree organized retail theft in connection with a post-Thanksgiving Day theft at three Sequim stores.
Anthony A. Cortani, 41, and his father, William E. Cortani, 67, of Manteca, Calif., were each charged with one count June 9 in Clallam County Superior Court.
Anthony Cortani originally had been charged alone in the thefts alleged to have been committed Nov. 26, the day after Thanksgiving, which is considered the busiest shopping day of the year — often referred to as Black Friday.
Anthony Cortani had faced a Feb. 23 trial until the charge was dismissed, with Clallam County Deputy Prosecutor John Troberg saying he intended to refile after the Sequim Police Department finished its investigation.
Anthony Cortani will be arraigned in Clallam County Superior Court today at 1 p.m. He was summoned to the arraignment by the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office on Friday.
William Cortani’s arraignment has not been scheduled.
Troberg said Tuesday he filed the new charges based on “more extensive work done by law enforcement.”
Police report
In a 15-page report, the Sequim Police Department details how the alleged thefts occurred.
Police allege that the Cortanis purchased an item to obtain a receipt, stashed the item in Anthony Cortani’s pickup truck, then returned to the same store to take more of the same item using the original receipt.
Sequim police said the Cortanis stole:
■ Three flat-screen TVs, valued together at $1,981, from the Sequim Walmart.
■ Drills, industrial lights and batteries from The Home Depot.
■ A Motorola Bluetooth and a Casio watch from Costco.
Court documents said two Costco employees observed the Cortanis using a pocket knife to remove the Bluetooth and watch from packages.
When stopped by employees at the exit, Anthony Cortani kept walking while William Cortani returned to the store.
Anthony Cortani later returned to the store with the watch.
Armed with a search warrant, police found tools, TVs and other items in Anthony Cortani’s 2008 Ford F3 pickup.
According to a supplemental police report, video surveillance showed that the three TVs in the Anthony Cortani’s pickup were never sold and should have been in Walmart’s stock.
Police said there were 14 phone calls made between the Cortanis at the three stores, 11 of which were made at Walmart over a span of 22 minutes, 30 seconds.
“The times on the Wal-Mart surveillance video cannot be synced exactly to the cell phone records,” Sequim police wrote in the incident report, yet, they said, the method was “consistent with the organized retail theft practice of double dipping.”
Second-degree organized retail theft is a Class C felony that carries a maximum punishment of five years in prison or $10,000 fine.
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-417-3537 or at rob.ollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
