Savannah PD releases details on five arrests from Best Buy ‘blackmail scheme’

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - Four people so far are now behind bars in connection with that $40,000 theft at Best Buy last month.

The scheme took place over a two week period.

Savannah police are confirming that includes an employee of the store.

A Savannah Police report confirms an employee at the store, 20-year-old Dorian Allen, was part of the scheme to steal 40 thousand dollars worth of merchandise.

Thursday, police confirmed five arrests all tied to an alleged blackmail scheme.

Police say Allen told investigators he was being blackmailed by a “hacker group” who threatened to release nude photos he had posted on Instagram if he didn’t help them steal from the store.

He claimed the hackers sent him emails with descriptions of whom he should allow to steal merchandise.

You can see the police report here:

So far, Dorian Allen- the store employee, along with Savannah Pendergraph, Shabria Summers, Leslie Bostic, and Brenda Gardner, have all been booked into the Chatham County jail to face charges in this case.

Right now, we have received the mug shots for four of these individuals and are still waiting on the mug shot of Gardner.

Four women are being charged with theft by receiving stolen property so far, and the employee is charged with theft by taking.

The police report shows Allen allegedly helped customers steal 143 products worth $40,734.19, including multiple PlayStation five consoles, Xbox gaming systems, Meta Quest VR headsets, AirPods, Beats headphones, and other electronics.

Additional arrests are expected. We will provide updates as we receive more information from the police.