Florida Man Arrested 75 Times Since 1985

A Florida man recently chalked up his 75^th arrest in a criminal career spanning nearly four decades.

Mark Brents, 57, was arrested last week by Florida law enforcement after an investigation, launched earlier this month, revealed a barcode manipulation scheme targeting Lowe’s stores across Hillsborough County and Clearwater, Police said.

Brents was booked into the Orient Road Jail, – the 75^th time since 1985 – for defrauding the retailer of more than $4,500 in merchandise during 10 separate incidents.

Police said Brents’ fraudulent activities involved switching barcodes from more expensive merchandise with tags from cheaper items, allowing him to buy products on a discount.

Investigators also uncovered multiple ads placed by Brents online, advertising stolen items, according to an official release.

The career criminal (who has also been in prison 11 times) was taken into custody on August 21 after he was spotted by police driving erratically and apprehended at his residence. At the time of his arrest, Brents was on probation for felony fleeing to elude.

“Our Organized Retail Theft Unit, working hand-in-hand with the Clearwater Police Department, successfully apprehended a career criminal before he could victimize more businesses in our community. This partnership was crucial in stopping a thief who has been a repeated offender for decades, and speaks volumes of the power of collaboration between law enforcement agencies,” said Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister.

“Despite this individual’s lengthy criminal history, he still has not learned his lesson. We will not tolerate habitual offenders who continue to prey on our community.”

Charges against Brents include organized scheme to defraud, retail theft, and felony petit theft.

“Our detectives were happy to work with their counterparts from the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office to get this individual off the streets,” said Clearwater Police Chief Eric Gandy.

“He has a long history of breaking the law in multiple jurisdictions.”

Newsweek has contacted the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office for additional information via email.

The latest in the long line of investigations into Brents remains ongoing.

Also in August, a man in South Florida was arrested and faced felony charges after he was accused of impersonating a well-known pizzeria in a years-long scheme to defraud tourists in the area.

Local outlets reported that Jose Marti-Alvarez, 55, posed as a delivery man for Roman’s Pizzeria in Miami for several years, but his scheme was thwarted after the restaurant’s owner alerted police following complaints from customers he had never served.

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