Stolen calculators? 2 men arrested in Minnesota, police add up that it may be a theft ring

Stolen calculators? 2 men arrested in Minnesota, police add up that it may be a theft ring

Minnesota authorities believe they arrested two Dallas men who are part of a nationwide calculator theft ring when the suspects were found last month in a Target parking lot with suspected stolen graphing calculators worth more than $5,000.

An investigation revealed that Zachary C. Fininen, 23, and Antonio Griffin Jr., 30, had in February driven into Minnesota from Dallas, Texas and shoplifted items from at least eight Target stores in the Saint Paul metro area, court records state. The men were arrested Feb. 21 in Woodbury, located eight miles east of Saint Paul, when police found them with the suspected stolen merchandise in a cooler, according to a criminal complaint in Washington County provided to USA TODAY.

Fininen and Griffin, both of whom were released on bond while awaiting the resolution of their case, could each face up to 10 years in prison and be ordered to pay a maximum fine of $20,000 if convicted of a felony charge of organized retail theft, according to the complaint. Fininen is scheduled to next appear in court Thursday for a hearing, while Griffin's next court appearance is scheduled for April 10, an online court docket shows.The men are the latest to be arrested across the United States on suspicion of stealing the pricy programmable graphing calculators. The devices, which can cost as much as $170, are often required for high school and college students enrolled in math courses.

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