West Bloomfield man charged in alleged crime ring

METRO DETROIT — A local man stands accused of participation in a crime ring fraudulently purchasing and reselling drinks.

Sean Allos, 54, of West Bloomfield, was arraigned before Judge Christopher Blount on June 23 in Wayne County 3rd Circuit Court. Allos is charged with one count of conducting a criminal enterprise, a 20-year felony, and eight counts of receiving and concealing stolen property worth more than $1,000, a five-year felony, according to Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel.

According to court records, Arthur Jay Weiss is Allos’ attorney. Weiss was not available for comment at press time.

According to Nessel, Allos reportedly purchased energy drinks below market value with the intent to resell them. Officials say the alleged crime ring was fraudulently reselling energy drinks totaling thousands of dollars in value.

The discovery was made after authorities began investigating an alleged food stamp operation in January 2023, where data from 8,000 electronic benefit transfer cards were illegally reproduced using personal information stolen primarily from residents of California.

The phony cards were then used at a Sam’s Club in the metro Detroit area to purchase energy drinks that would then be resold for profit.

“Organized retail crime remains a growing threat to our communities and local businesses,” Nessel said. “Our FORCE Team continues to work with law enforcement and retail partners to investigate and prosecute these coordinated schemes. My office remains committed to dismantling these criminal operations and holding perpetrators accountable.”

“FORCE” is an acronym that stands for Focused Organized Retail Crime Enforcement. The FORCE Team and the Organized Retail Crime Unit were established by Nessel in January 2023 to target criminal organizations that steal from retailers to repackage and sell for profit.

According to court records, Allos remains out on bond awaiting a pre-trial hearing set for 12:30 p.m. Aug. 14 before Judicial Officer Darnella D. Williams-Claybourne.