Prosecutors say boosters stole the formula from major retailers and sold it to the defendants at a reduced price.
Baby formula theft suspect arrested, PBSO speaks on retail theft
A South Florida man faces felony charges in what officials call one of Florida’s largest retail theft cases involving baby formula.
Two people have been charged in a baby formula theft ring that allegedly yielded more than $1 million in illegal proceeds and led to products being stolen from Publix, Target and Walmart locations across Florida, state prosecutors recently announced.
Mohammed Alsaidi, 59, and Zeina Abdul-Hassan Sou Zabib, 49, were both charged with multiple first-degree felonies, including one count of conspiracy to commit racketeering and two counts of directing and dealing in stolen property, according to Florida’s Attorney General James Uthmeier and online court records reviewed by USA TODAY.
The alleged criminal ring is accused of stealing baby formula between November 2024 and June 2025, for a total of $1.1 million, Uthmeier’s office said in a Sept. 10 news release.
Both Alsaidi and Sou Zabib pleaded not guilty to all three charges and were given a $750,000 bond, according to online court records.
Alsaidi’s lawyer, Joshua LeRoy, filed a motion to reduce his client’s bond on Sept. 8. The attorney told USA TODAY on Friday, Sept. 11, that both defendants are still incarcerated. He declined to comment further, citing the pending criminal case.
Sou Zabib’s lawyer, Alan Saladrigas, also declined to comment on Sept. 11. Both defendants have hearings scheduled for 10:30 a.m. on Oct. 1.
Here’s what we know about the alleged baby formula theft ring, including how it reportedly operated.
Where did the alleged baby formula thefts occur?
Investigators tied the enterprise to more than 150 baby formula thefts throughout Florida, ultimately causing Publix, Target, Walmart, Walgreens, CVS and Winn-Dixie to lose hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The thefts fall within eight judicial circuits that represent 19 different counties:
- 9th – Orange and Osceola
- 10th – Hardee, Highlands and Polk
- 11th – Miami-Dade
- 15th – Palm Beach
- 17th – Broward
- 18th – Brevard and Seminole
- 19th – Indian River, Martin, Okeechobee and St. Lucie
- 20th – Charlotte, Collier, Glades, Hendry and Lee
Investigators found ledgers, proof of formula sales
The thefts began in November 2024 and went on for at least seven months, Uthmeier’s office said in the news release.
Authorities arrested Alsaidi and Sou Zabib after an investigation that lasted more than 15 months, according to Uthmeier’s office, which alleges that the two ran the operation from a Lake Worth home and a Davie warehouse.
Prosecutors said professional shoplifters, or boosters, stole baby formula from major retailers and sold the formula to the defendants for about $10 per can. That’s about one-fifth of the formula’s retail price. Alsaidi and Sou Zabib are accused of storing, distributing and reselling the formula.
When investigators searched the Lake Worth home, they found baby formula, retail merchandise, electronics and ledgers showing that formula had been bought and sold.
Who else has been charged?
Uthmeier’s office said nine individuals who allegedly participated in the criminal ring as boosters have been charged, including Kenneth Jones Jr., who authorities say was involved in more than 50 baby-formula thefts, which resulted in more than $70,000 in illegal proceeds.
Others charged include:
- Debreka Anderson
- Elizabeth Hutchins
- Geraldine Kitchen
- Vincent Capone
- Kelrikkia May
- Ayana McKeithen
- Curteeciah Bessent
- Marnisha Sims
Sisters Debreka Anderson and Elizabeth Hutchins pleaded guilty to their roles in the ring and were sentenced on June 29. Anderson was sentenced to two years and 10 months, while Hutchins received one year and seven months, according to the Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Network.
During a February 2025 theft, a store manager tried to intervene, and investigators said Anderson grabbed the manager’s phone and smashed it before she and others in the group ran off.
“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,” Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said in a statement.
Contributing: Hannah Phillips, Palm Beach Post
Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY’s trending team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757. Email her at sdmartin@usatoday.com.