A man with more criminal cases on his record than most people have holiday decorations is accused of pulling off ten shoplifting raids in twelve days at the same Target store in Lincoln Park, a rapid-fire streak that prosecutors say netted more than $1,200 in merchandise.
Kenneth Smith, 58, of Westchester, is charged with operating a continuing financial crime enterprise after investigators linked him to the lightning-quick thefts at the company’s 555 West Webster Avenue location, all caught on video.
Prosecutors say the crime spree began on August 30, while Smith was on probation for a shoplifting case and just three days after the state dropped yet another theft case because the victim did not appear in court. The raids, officials said, seemed almost mechanical:
- August 30: A two-minute raid for comforters and sheets worth $196.
- August 31: At 8:25 a.m., another two-minute sweep netted $206 in Dove body wash. That night, a four-minute spin stripped the shelves of $247 in body wash and men’s t-shirts.
- September 2: Two minutes, $112 in bedding.
- September 3: Two minutes, $66 in bedding.
- September 4: Two minutes, $88 in Dove soap.
- September 5: $94 in bedding.
- September 8: Bedding, socks, and t-shirts valued at $161.
- September 9: Stuffed bags with five more sets of sheets worth $134.
- September 10: Hygiene products, men’s underwear, t-shirts, and bed sheets worth $206.
Operating a continuing financial crime enterprise is a Class 1 felony that can be filed when someone is accused of committing at least three thefts within eighteen months for the purpose of reselling the goods. Police say Smith knocked out 10 in less than two weeks.
Judge Ankur Srivastava ordered him detained for violating probation.
Smith’s court file shows 51 separate criminal cases filed against him in Cook County since 1988 and at least 11 felony convictions, including drug dealing, burglary, possessing a stolen vehicle, repeated shoplifting, a 2019 escape from electronic monitoring, and a 2024 shoplifting conviction that ended with a four-year prison sentence.
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