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A SHOPPER has been banned from Walmart after he was caught using a sneaky diamond ring trick to swipe $7,000 worth of items.
Matthew Patrick Gay, 34, came up with an inventive strategy to distract employees and targeted a number of stores until he was ultimately apprehended, as per authorities.
This series of incidents took place repeatedly in 2022 at one specific Walmart location, according to a statement from the district attorney of Bradford County, Pennsylvania.
Gay would waltz into the store about four hours outside Philadelphia and target the jewelry counter to steal expensive items.
Authorities report that this surreptitious customer would request to view diamond rings and, before returning them, would swiftly replace the real gemstone with a counterfeit one from his pocket.
Gay then breezed out of the store, having stolen the jewelry without getting a single glance from workers.
Authorities say Gay stole seven diamond rings worth a total of $7,362.50 before he was finally caught.
Once Walmart workers noticed something was off, authorities reviewed surveillance footage that captured the moment he made the swap.
Gay was arrested in October 2022 after the crimes came to light.
He was scheduled to be sentenced in August 2024, but skipped the hearing.
That led to a new arrest warrant.
While on the run, Gay continued to commit similar thefts in nearby Berks County..
He was caught and sentenced there to five months to two years in prison plus two years probation.
Gay returned to Bradford County in April 2025 to face sentencing for the earlier Walmart robberies.
He was given a prison term of 23 months and 258 days.
District Attorney Richard Wilson noted Gay’s long record.
“Gay’s criminal history includes more than two dozen offenses of this nature,” Wilson said.
Walmart shoplifting arrests
- Ashley Cross was caught on security cameras using an old watch battery barcode to scan expensive products for just $1
- Ex-officer Mark Leenerts stole $317.88 worth of merchandise from Walmart stores in Topeka, Kansas
- Jeremiah Boyer raked in $52,800 in fees on 874 orders while working for Walmart’s online delivery service Spark
- Brent Adam Brooks, of Sylva, North Carolina, was arrested after trying to steal a $198 Frigidaire ice maker
- Kabreshia Caldwell targeted innocent senior citizen customers at Walmart stores across Northeast Florida, stealing a total of $10,000
- Katherine Gordon allegedly stole $80 worth of groceries by replacing barcodes on certain produce items
“For that reason, a lengthy State Prison sentence is appropriate. It appears to be the only way we can protect society from Matthew Gay’s thievery.”
WALMART THEFTS
Meanwhile, earlier in May, two women were arrested after swiping more than $100,000 in goods using a slick “package” scam at Target and Walmart stores.
Their crimes spanned Georgia and 20 other states before they were finally caught.
Prosecutors said they pulled off a staggering 187 thefts between June 2022 and August 2024.
Their scheme involved manipulating AirPod purchases and returns to make off with pricey merchandise.
Investigators say the women posed as regular shoppers but used fake identities and strategic distractions to pull off the heists.
Ebony Fallon Washington, 43, who also used the name Stephanie Harris, was one of the ringleaders.
Melissa Holland, 46, who also went by Keisha Wilson, was her partner in crime.
The two pleaded guilty to violating Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act.
They were sentenced to 20 years each, with 10 years to be served in prison and the rest on probation.
The stolen goods totaled nearly $141,000 in value.
