Wake the Lakes “Weird and Wacky Wednesday” 10-11-23

For years, Robert Dell ran a drug recovery program at what was known as The Rock Community Church and Transformation Center in St. Petersburg, Fla. On the side, prosecutors say, Dell also ran an organized retail-crime ring. The pastor had been working as a fence, the middleman buying stolen goods from thieves and reselling them for a profit, according to prosecutors. Dell was telling people who went to his recovery program to steal tools like drills and pin nailers from Home Depot stores all over Florida and drop them off at his home. Using the eBay account Anointed Liquidator, he sold $3 million of items online since 2016, Home Depot and a search warrant affidavit said. Dell and four other people, including his wife and mother, were arrested in early August in Tampa, Fla., after a seven-month investigation in which Home Depot collaborated with Florida law enforcement. Dell is now facing charges including racketeering, conspiracy to commit racketeering and dealing in stolen property. Dell, 57 years old, has pleaded not guilty to the charges. He was released on bond in late September. An attorney for Dell declined to comment.