A Chicago man, Isadore House, has been charged with a Class 1 Felony Theft after the Cook County Sheriff's Police Organized Retail Crime Unit recovered approximately $400,000 in stolen merchandise. Sheriff Thomas J. Dart announced the recovery of fitness equipment and other goods linked to area cargo thefts.
The investigation began in April when the unit discovered that fitness equipment stolen during a cargo theft in Joliet was being sold on Facebook Marketplace. Undercover investigators identified House as the seller and conducted multiple purchases from him at a storefront on West 87th Street and a storage unit on West 85th Street in Chicago.
Search warrants executed on June 5 led to the recovery of stolen items valued at about $400,000. House, residing on West Hermitage Avenue, was taken into custody. The Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office approved one count of Class 1 Felony Theft against him on June 6.
House appeared at an initial hearing at the George N. Leighton Criminal Courthouse on June 7 and was ordered released pending trial. His next court appearance is scheduled for June 12 at the First Municipal District Courthouse in Chicago.
Sheriff Dart established the Organized Retail Crime Unit in 2023 to address increasing retail crime in Cook County. The unit has since recovered over $5 million worth of stolen merchandise.
The public is reminded that all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.