Attorney General James Uthmeier Announces First-Degree Felony Charges in Organized Retail Theft of Baby Formula

Courtesy of the Office of the Attorney General

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.-Today, Attorney General James Uthmeier announced that the Office of Statewide Prosecution will be 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.

"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 is not a victimless crime and Florida is not going to stand for it," said Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw. "You know who the victim of this crime is? You-because the retailers are going to jack up the price and put it on the consumer. I appreciate Attorney General Uthmeier for seeing the bigger picture and holding these criminals 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 and Palm Beach counties. During each heist, Jones would steal a reusable shopping tote or plastic bin, fill it with dozens of baby formula canisters, and leave the store without paying for the items.

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.

At the time of his sentencing in 2022, Jones had minimal criminal history. He did not score prison on the three prior Palm Beach cases and was sentenced to two years prison for those cases, which is significantly above the minimum sentence. The State Attorney's Office filed the cases as Aggravated Retail Theft, which was primarily a third-degree felony back in 2022. Jones received a two-year prison sentence. Thanks to House Bill 549, which went into effect in late 2024, prosecutors are now equipped to charge first-degree felonies for this conduct.

These charges each carry a maximum sentence of 30 years, along with fines of up to $10,000. This case will be handled by Attorney General Uthmeier's Office of Statewide Prosecution.

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