ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - Prosecutors said two women have been sentenced to 10 years in prison for stealing more than $100,000 in merchandise from Walmart and Target stores across multiple states, including dozens of stores in Georgia.

Ebony Fallon Washington (aka Stephanie Harris), 43, and Melissa Holland (aka Keisha Wilson), 46, both of New York, operated a multistate “organized retail theft scheme” involving AirPod purchases that at Walmart and Target locations, the Cherokee County District Attorney’s Office announced Wednesday.

On March 6, Washington and Holland pleaded guilty to three counts of violating Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act.

Washington took a plea deal, while Holland pleaded guilty without an agreement with prosecutors. A judge gave both women the same sentence: 20 years, with the first 10 years to be served in prison and the remainder on probation.

The judge also ordered Washington and Holland to pay $134,951.86 in restitution, “which reflects the remaining balance after the value of recovered merchandise was deducted from the total theft amount,” the DA’s office said.

As part of their probation, they’re barred from having any contact with each other, banned from all Walmart and Target locations, banned from Cherokee County, and are required to complete 320 hours of community service.

From June 2022 through August 2024, the women stole nearly $141,000 in merchandise across Georgia and 20 other states.

Prosecutors said their scheme involved purchasing Apple AirPods with cash, removing the AirPods from the packaging, replacing them with cheaper items, resealing the boxes to make them appear unopened, and returning the boxes for full cash refunds.

They also resold the AirPods they removed, and in some cases used the refunded money to buy more AirPods, ”continuing the cycle."

The pair hit Walmart and Target locations across Georgia, including stores in Acworth, Adel, Austell, Buford, Calhoun, Columbus, Conyers, Covington, Cumming, Dallas, Fayetteville, Flowery Branch, Fort Oglethorpe, Grovetown, Hampton, Hiram, Holly Springs, Kennesaw, LaFayette, Macon, Marietta, McDonough, Milton, Norcross, Rockmart, Roswell, Smyrna, Stockbridge, Tifton, Trion, and Woodstock.

“These defendants operated in a coordinated effort with a specific plan in place. Although only two stores in Cherokee County were directly affected, Georgia’s RICO Act enabled us to prosecute this broader criminal enterprise,” Assistant District Attorney Rachel Murphy said in a statement.

In May 2024, investigators with Walmart met with the Gang and Organized Crime Unit of the Cherokee County DA‘s Office to discuss the theft ring.

Prosecutors said Walmart and Target had been working together to investigate the thefts and share information with each other and with law enforcement agencies.

On Sept. 13, 2024, the women were arrested in Coweta County as part of a joint effort between the Woodstock Police Department, the Coweta County Sheriff’s Office and other law enforcement agencies.

Investigators seized key evidence from the women’s rental car, including receipts for hotels located near stores they targeted in the scheme, along with tools used to open the AirPods packaging. They also found evidence from five cellphones used by the women.

“Organized retail crime is a growing problem not only in our community, but nationwide. In Cherokee County, we judiciously use RICO indictments for individuals like these defendants who were clearly involved in an organized scheme which impacted stores locally as well as throughout the country,” said District Attorney Susan K. Treadaway. “By holding these offenders accountable and imposing prison sentences, we are sending the message that those who engage in organized retail crime will be aggressively prosecuted in Cherokee County.”

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