Attorney General James Uthmeier Charges Lake Worth Couple for Running $1.1 Million Statewide Stolen Baby Formula Enterprise

Courtesy of the Office of the Attorney General

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.-Attorney General James Uthmeier announced the arrest of Mohammed Alsaidi, 59, and Zeina Abdul-Hassan Sou Zabib, 49, of Lake Worth, for directing a multi-circuit organized retail theft enterprise that bought and resold stolen baby formula across Florida. Investigators identified more than $1.1 million in revenue from those sales between November 2024 and June 2025.

"Stealing baby formula away from parents who rely on it to feed their children is unconscionable," said Attorney General James Uthmeier. "This couple sat at the top of a criminal enterprise that paid thieves to clear Florida shelves and then resold the stolen formula for more than a million dollars in profit. Organized retail theft is not a victimless crime, and we will continue to crack down on these enterprises to keep prices low."

"We can't overlook the impact these crimes have on our community," said Sheriff Ric Bradshaw. "When parents can't find baby formula on store shelves, it creates fear of a shortage and can force families to search elsewhere or stock up when they find it, further limiting availability for other families who depend on it."

Over a 15-month joint investigation, the Attorney General's Special Investigative Retail Theft Task Force, the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office, and partner agencies identified a fencing operation run by Alsaidi and Zabib from a Lake Worth residence and a Davie warehouse. Professional shoplifters, known as boosters, stole baby formula from Publix, Target, Walmart, Walgreens, CVS, and Winn-Dixie stores and sold it to the defendants for about $10 per can-approximately one-fifth of retail price. The couple then stored, distributed, and resold the formula for profit.

Investigators tied the enterprise to more than 150 baby formula thefts throughout Florida between 2024 and 2026. Major retailers reported hundreds of thousands of dollars in losses. The offenses affected the 9th, 10th, 11th, 15th, 17th, 18th, 19th, and 20th Judicial Circuits. A search of the Lake Worth residence recovered baby formula, retail merchandise, electronics, and ledgers documenting formula purchases and sales.

Nine boosters who supplied the enterprise have already been charged, including Kenneth Jones Jr., previously announced by this Office for more than 50 baby-formula thefts totaling more than $70,000, as well as Debreka Anderson, Elizabeth Hutchins, Geraldine Kitchen, Vincent Capone, Kelrikkia May, Ayana McKeithen, Curteeciah Bessent, and Marnisha Sims.

Mohammed Alsaidi and Zeina Abdul-Hassan Sou Zabib were charged with Conspiracy to Commit Racketeering and two counts of Director of Dealing in Stolen Property, all first-degree felonies. If convicted as charged, each defendant faces up to 90 years in the Florida Department of Corrections.

This investigation was a collaborative effort among the Office of Statewide Prosecution Special Investigative Retail Theft Task Force, the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office, the Davie Police Department, the Coral Springs Police Department, the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Martin County Sheriff's Office, the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office, and loss-prevention investigators from Publix, Target, Walmart, Walgreens, CVS, and Winn-Dixie.

The case will be prosecuted by the Office of Statewide Prosecution in Palm Beach County by Assistant Statewide Prosecutor Monique Wilson and Special Counsel Chris Olowin.

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