Office of the
Illinois Attorney General
Kwame Raoul

Chicago – Attorney General Kwame Raoul today charged a Cook County man for his alleged participation in a criminal enterprise that targeted Chicago-area retailers in more than 115 burglaries, stealing more than $1 million in merchandise and cash. The charges stem from Raoul’s ongoing efforts to combat organized retail crime through his office’s statewide Organized Retail Crime Task Force.

Raoul’s office charged Dequane J. Hall, 29, of Chicago, in DuPage County Circuit Court with one count of Class 3 felony organized retail crime, punishable by up to five years in prison, and two counts of Class 2 felony burglary, each punishable by up to seven years in prison. Sentences are ultimately determined by the court.  Hall’s next court date is scheduled for September 11.

“The charges against the defendants in this case are the result of collaboration between more than two dozen law enforcement agencies,” Raoul said. “The thefts allegedly committed by this burglary ring impacted several businesses. I am committed to continuing my work with local law enforcement to target organized retail crime operations, hold such offenders accountable and make all of our communities safer.”

Attorney General Raoul is prosecuting this case with DuPage County State’s Attorney Bob Berlin’s office.

“Organized retail theft continues to be a significant problem that affects us all,” Berlin said. “According to the National Retail Federation, in 2024, retail theft cost businesses throughout the Country an estimated $45 billion and is projected to increase to more than $53 billion in 2027. This staggering amount of money translates to lost profits for business owners, lost wages for employees, higher prices for consumers and lost economic investment in our communities. I commend Attorney General Kwame Raoul and his team for their outstanding work on this case, for their ongoing efforts in protecting our retail establishments throughout the State and for assisting our local law enforcement in combatting organized retail theft.”

Raoul alleges that the burglary ring targeted dozens of businesses, including several liquor stores, with after-hours burglaries. Raoul’s office previously filed indictments against five other defendants in the case, three of whom have upcoming court dates scheduled.

Antonio Lewis, 26, of Chicago, is scheduled to appear in DuPage County Circuit Court on Aug. 11. Jimmy C. Hall, 30, of Chicago, is scheduled to appear in DuPage County Circuit Court on Aug. 15. Marquise D. Williamson, 24, of Wheeling, Illinois, is scheduled to appear in Lake County Circuit Court on Aug. 13. This case is ongoing, and additional information will be made available at a later date.

The investigation was a collaborative effort by the Arlington Heights Police Department, the Vernon Hills Police Department and investigators from police departments including Addison, Buffalo Grove, Wheeling, Oak Lawn, Worth, Barrington, South Barrington, Deerfield, Wauconda, Gilberts, West Dundee, Gurnee, Lake Forest, Carpentersville, Des Plaines, Westchester, Wilmette, Northbrook, North Chicago, Glencoe, Skokie, Morton Grove and the Chicago Police Department.

“The interagency cooperation and teamwork exhibited was instrumental to ensure this unlawful activity received the appropriate level of law enforcement attention,” Arlington Heights Police Chief Nicholas A. Pecora Jr. said. “This investigation is a great example of a well-coordinated multijurisdictional response to a pattern crime designed to hold the criminal element responsible.”

“Organized crime knows no boundaries and addressing it requires meaningful collaboration,” Vernon Hills Police Chief Patrick L. Kreis said. “We are grateful for the partnership of the Illinois Attorney General’s Office as well as the numerous law enforcement agencies who contributed to this outcome.”

The public is reminded that the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. 

Attorney General Raoul’s Organized Retail Crime Task Force is the first statewide, public-private collaboration of its kind in Illinois that is designed to foster cooperation among retailers, online marketplaces, law enforcement agencies and state’s attorneys and is dedicated to targeting organized retail crime enterprises. The task force allows the office to utilize data and tips provided by retailers and to partner across jurisdictions with law enforcement agencies to investigate organized retail crimes and trace thefts to the source. 

In addition to establishing the task force, Attorney General Raoul initiated changes to Illinois law to create and specifically define organized retail crime in state law. The law, signed in 2022, strengthens oversight of online marketplaces to curb actors who exploit these legitimate platforms to illegally sell stolen goods. It also creates a statewide intelligence platform to help retailers and law enforcement agencies better coordinate their enforcement efforts. Additionally, the law requires online marketplaces to verify the identity of high-volume sellers, which helps police outlets used to monetize stolen merchandise.

The law aims to reduce a criminal’s ability to avoid prosecution for organized retail crime by allowing any state’s attorney where any element of organized retail crime takes place to prosecute the whole crime. The law also gives the Attorney General’s office authority to utilize the statewide grand jury to prosecute organized retail crime. In addition, the Legislature appropriates funds annually to the Attorney General’s office to award grants to state’s attorneys’ offices and law enforcement agencies that investigate and prosecute organized retail crime. 

Deputy Bureau Chief Megan McGuire Bachman and Senior Assistant Attorney General Steven Knight are prosecuting the case for Raoul’s office.