Target guard stole thousands in electronics

A security officer at a Colma Target store pleaded no contest on Monday to grand theft for stealing thousands of dollars worth of electronics from his employer, prosecutors said Tuesday.

Alex Nguyen, 26, of Daly City, entered the plea in the courtroom of Judge Leland Davis in exchange for a sentence of no more than 90 days in jail, according to the San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 3.

Nguyen was working as a security officer at the Target store when in February managers noticed numerous thefts of electronics happening on Thursdays — the only day Nguyen was working.

In March, after a thorough inventory of merchandise in the electronics department, the managers set up a second security camera. That camera captured Nguyen lifting himself to the ceiling and disabling the first camera, prosecutors said.

Despite the first camera being turned off, footage from the second camera showed Nguyen returning later to turn the first camera back on.

Other Target security officers followed Nguyen to his car, where he took stolen items, including cellphones and battery packs, from a lunch box and put them in his car trunk. In all, they found 11 stolen items worth $8,649.81, prosecutors said.

The store’s security officers called police and Nguyen was arrested and charged.