Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced that the Office of Statewide Prosecution is charging Kenneth Jones, of Palm Beach County, with two counts of first-degree felony organized retail theft with prior convictions for stealing massive amounts of baby formula.
The financial loss to Publix, Target, and Walmart exceeds $70,000, and Publix has noted that this is their most prolific baby formula theft to date.
“Stealing baby formula away from parents who rely on it to feed their children is unconscionable,” said Attorney General James Uthmeier. “This will be one of the first times someone’s been charged with the increased penalties for retail theft since Governor DeSantis signed HB 549 into law last year, which makes certain repeat offenders eligible for 30 years in prison. Thanks to the excellent investigative work by Sheriff Bradshaw’s team, our Office of Statewide Prosecution will be able to hold this criminal accountable.”
This investigation was a collaborative effort between the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office and the Office of Statewide Prosecution. Between November 2024 through May 2025, Jones carried out over 50 thefts of baby formula from Publix, Target, and Walmart locations across Broward County and Palm Beach County…