Shoplifter accused of stealing $17,000 in laundry detergent, other goods

Aug. 29—A woman is behind bars after allegedly stealing thousands worth of laundry detergent from Albuquerque stores over the course of several months.

Christina Ephrim, 53, was booked Monday into Metropolitan Detention Center. She has been charged with 20 counts each of shoplifting in an amount exceeding $500, but less than $2,500, conspiracy to commit shoplifting exceeding $500, but less than $2,500, and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

Her attorney could not be reached Tuesday.

Authorities said Ephrim has been identified as being directly involved in 20 incidents of shoplifting — where she mainly stole laundry detergent in liquid and pod form — at Albuquerque Walmart, Lowe's, Target and Smith's stores. From April 2022 through September 2022, according to police, Ephrim exited stores with detergent, and sometimes other household items, that amounted to $17,142.83.

Court records show Ephrim was charged with felony counts of shoplifting in two cases at the end of last year but both were dismissed, one "pending further investigation" and another because the state "failed to prosecute."

It appears that authorities made a case against Ephrim going back much further, detailing more than a dozen shoplifting incidents over several months.

Ephrim and four others, including a minor, carried out the string of robberies, often following the same pattern and stealing the same products, according to a criminal complaint filed in Metropolitan Court.

Authorities said in the Lowe's robberies that directly involved Ephrim, she would enter the store, usually accompanied by the minor, walk straight to the store's detergent section and begin filling a shopping cart with laundry detergent packs. The pair would work in concert, with Ephrim either helping the minor load the cart full of detergent, or playing the role of "lookout," scanning the nearby area for other shoppers or store employees.

They would then exit the store through the front entrance without paying for the merchandise, a pattern that would be repeated 11 times, according to the complaint. Lowe's employees documented each theft, which totaled $9,843.34.

Authorities said at Walmart, Ephrim was positively identified in four incidents and all were felony amounts of goods above $500. At Smith's, Ephrim was able to carry out three robberies, each involving a cart full of laundry detergent and, in two Target shoplifting incidents, Ephrim made off with full carts of stolen goods.

In a separate case, according to court records, the minor punched Smith's employees and drove a vehicle into a group of them when they tried to stop the teen and Ephrim from leaving during an incident in May. Court documents indicate that the case for the multiple instances of shoplifting against Ephrim was transferred to the 2nd Judicial District Court on Monday.