(WNY News Now) – Buffalo, NY – A 60-year-old Buffalo man has pleaded guilty to a series of retail thefts and burglary charges spanning multiple incidents at the Walden Galleria, Erie County District Attorney Michael J. Keane announced.
Gary E. White, also known as Gary Johnson, admitted to six counts, including three counts of Burglary in the Third Degree and Grand Larceny in the Third Degree, both Class D felonies. Additionally, he pleaded guilty to Criminal Possession of Stolen Property in the Fifth Degree and Petit Larceny, Class A misdemeanors. White’s guilty plea covers all charges in the indictment against him.
White’s shoplifting spree began on January 16, 2023, when he unlawfully entered the Walden Galleria in Cheektowaga, violating a no-trespass order from a prior incident. He stole a significant amount of merchandise from a department store. A week later, on January 23, 2023, White returned to the same store, stealing sweatshirts, hoodies, and jackets valued at over $5,000.
His most recent offense occurred on April 20, 2023, when White stole shoes, clothing, and other items from several stores at the same mall. A store manager witnessed the theft and alerted police. Responding officers recovered stolen merchandise from White’s bag.
White is being held without bail and faces up to seven years in prison as a second felony offender. His sentencing is scheduled for February 14, 2025, before State Supreme Court Justice Paul B. Wojtaszek. Prosecutors will request trespass notices barring White from entering the retailers he targeted.
DA Keane praised the efforts of Detective Michael Curtis and Officers Bradford Hebeler, Lenore Kukoleca, and Michelle Wojtkowiak from the Cheektowaga Police Department, whose investigations led to the charges.
Assistant District Attorney Christopher P. Jurusik of the Special Investigations and Prosecutions Bureau, a member of the Organized Retail Crime Task Force, prosecuted the case.
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