Internet Burglary Ring Busted!

Early success for newly formed burglary task force

Just a few months into operations, the Fulton County Multi-Jurisdictional Burglary Task force led by the District Attorney’s Office, has busted a multi-million dollar internet burglary ring. Three suspects have been arrested for stealing high-end appliances from homes, marketing them on-line and selling them for a fraction of their worth.

Undercover operations began in January following a tip from a Sandy Springs homeowner whose unoccupied home was burglarized.  Shortly after the theft, the owner spotted his uniquely marked nine thousand dollar stove for sale on the internet site ‘Craig’s List’. The on-line “seller” marketed the stove and a companion luxury refrigerator for less than five thousand dollars. The homeowner notified Sandy Springs police who turned the lead over to the newly formed Burglary Task Force.

After an intense investigation, detectives identified Kinneth and Tracy Devrick, a husband and wife team from Suwanee and Joseph Mobbs of Lawrenceville as the appliance thieves. The trio orchestrated thefts of high-end kitchen appliances throughout the Metro area targeting mostly unoccupied homes for sale. The group advertised the newly stolen goods on various internet-marketing sites and personally delivered or shipped the items to local and national buyers. Officers estimate that this criminal enterprise profited $500,000 from the sale of over $2 million worth of stolen property.  These estimates do not include the damage caused to homes during the commission of the burglaries or the insurance claims paid as a result thereof. 

The operation began to unravel in February when undercover officers arranged a buy with the suspects in the parking lot of a Sandy Springs home improvement store. Tracy and Kinneth Devrick were arrested on scene. Joseph Mobbs was arrested later. Officers recovered more than twenty high-end appliances, stolen vehicles, and a significant amount of methamphetamine from the Devrick’s Gwinnett County home. Log books and USB drives detailing the sale of the stolen property were also recovered. Following a press conference announcing the bust of the burglary ring, additional leads regarding other burglaries connected to this ring began pouring into the Burglary Task Force. DA Howard offered a thirty-day amnesty period to buyers who purchased goods from these suspects. The group faces multiple felony counts including burglary, theft by receiving and drug charges. Indictments are pending in Fulton, Gwinnett and Cobb counties.