A woman who made headlines this year for stealing from Stonestown Galleria, then being extradited back to the city after fleeing to Hawaii, has a long history of theft in San Francisco — and a demonstrable pattern of being a flight risk — court records show.
Denayaha Duree, 23, has been charged in 10 shoplifting cases in the city since November 2020. Nearly all occurred at luxury shops around Union Square, including Louis Vuitton, Saint Laurent, and Dolce & Gabbana, according to court documents.
Duree has a history of failing to appear in court when ordered and failing to abide by conditions of her release during pending criminal cases.
She was convicted on theft charges in 2022 and sentenced to two years in state prison. After her release on parole, she and an accomplice allegedly stole dozens of pairs of luxury sunglasses from Stonestown Galleria before she fled to Hawaii while there was an open warrant for her arrest. She was arrested in February as she exited a plane at the Honolulu airport, then released while the case was pending. During this period, she allegedly worked with a crew to break into Dior at Union Square and steal high-end merchandise and was later arrested again.
Duree is in jail awaiting trial for her alleged role in the Stonestown Galleria burglary. There is no active case in court records against Duree for her alleged participation in the Dior burglary.
The San Francisco District Attorney’s office did not acknowledge cases Duree was prosecuted for prior to 2024 but said in a statement that it moved to have her detained pending trial in the most recent case she was charged in.
“The San Francisco District Attorney’s Office recognizes the impact of retail theft on our businesses and neighborhoods. We take these crimes seriously and are committed to holding offenders accountable,” the DA’s office said. “Since her arraignment in 2024, this office has consistently moved to have Ms. Duree detained pending trial only to see the court release her repeatedly over our objections.”
Duree’s attorney did not respond to requests for comment. The San Francisco Superior Court declined to comment.
Here’s a timeline of Duree’s alleged crimes:
2020
- Nov. 9: Duree allegedly steals from an Alexander McQueen boutique and robs a man in Union Square.
- Dec. 10: Duree allegedly steals from a Dolce & Gabbana boutique.
2021
- Feb. 16: Duree allegedly steals more than $950 in purses from the same Alexander McQueen boutique.
- March 16: Duree allegedly steals from Saint Laurent and tear-gasses a woman in Union Square.
- March 22: Duree pleads not guilty to theft and assault charges in connection to the Nov. 9, 2020, and March 16, 2021, shoplifting incidents in Union Square. Bail is set at $100,000, and she is ordered to stay 150 yards away from the man she allegedly robbed and the woman she allegedly tear-gassed.
- March 26: Duree pleads not guilty in a separate case to charges of stealing a jacket and polo shirts from Moncler, with the intent of selling them. Bail is set at $2,500, and the case continued, as it will be combined with bail in the other case.
- March 29: Duree is charged with two counts each of second-degree commercial burglary, grand theft, and organized grand retail theft with intent to sell merchandise taken from Dolce & Gabbana on Dec. 10, 2020, and Alexander McQueen on Feb. 16, 2021.
- March 30: Judge Brian Ferrall releases Duree on her own recognizance during proceedings for four ongoing theft cases. Duree, who does not enter a plea before her release, is ordered to appear at all subsequent court dates. She is not placed on electronic monitoring or required to report to authorities during her release, court records show.
- April 6: Duree fails to appear in court on the four pending cases. Her recognizance status is revoked, and four bench warrants are issued. Her total bail is set at $120,000.
2022
- Jan. 18: The court learns Duree is in custody in another, unspecified county. Bench warrants remain outstanding. Court records do not indicate when Duree is extradited to San Francisco.
- January to April: Cases against Duree are continued until a consolidated complaint is filed.
- April 27: Duree is charged with 17 counts of robbery, commercial burglary, theft with intent to sell, unlawful use of tear gas, and other crimes in the incidents around Union Square between Nov. 9, 2020, and March 16, 2021.
- May 16: Duree is charged with eight theft counts, including two counts of robbery, for allegedly shoplifting from Saint Laurent on two occasions in October 2020.
- July 21: Duree pleads guilty to four counts of second-degree commercial burglary and one count of robbery. She is sentenced to two years in state prison but serves around six months due to time served while the case was pending. The other 12 counts are dismissed as part of a plea deal. All other pending cases against Duree are dismissed concurrent with her sentencing.
2023
- Feb. 22: Duree is released from prison.
- May 20: Duree allegedly steals a scarf and handbags from Louis Vuitton and Bottega Veneta.
2024
- Jan. 29: Duree and an accomplice allegedly enter Lenscrafters in Stonestown Galleria and steal 47 pairs of luxury sunglasses. There is an outstanding warrant for Duree for the alleged thefts on May 20, 2023.
- Jan 30: Judge Richard Darwin issues an arrest warrant against Duree for the alleged shoplifting at Stonestown.
- Feb. 14: Duree flees to Honolulu and is arrested by U.S. marshals as she exits the plane.
- Feb. 28: Duree is booked into San Francisco County Jail.
- March 1: Duree is charged with six theft counts for allegedly shoplifting from Louis Vuitton and Bottega Veneta in May 2023 and Stonestown in January 2024. She pleads not guilty to all counts. Bail is set at $100,000, and she is ordered to stay 150 yards away from the stores.
- April 9: Duree is released by Judge Eric Fleming on her own recognizance with electronic monitoring to attend her father’s funeral. She is ordered to appear in court April 11.
- April 11: Duree appears but remains out of custody. She continues to appear in court for hearings through May 23.
- May 23: Duree’s case is continued to June 26.
- June 24: The sheriff’s office requests a warrant for Duree’s arrest, saying she violated the terms of her release four times in June by traveling more than 50 miles from her home, failing to report for compliance checks, and returning to Stonestown on June 22.
- June 26: Duree returns to court while out of custody. She is released again on her own recognizance by Fleming. The case is continued as the parties work to set a jury trial.
- Sept. 25: The sheriff’s office requests a warrant for Duree’s arrest, saying she tried to remove her GPS tracking device.
- Oct. 11: Duree allegedly participates in a burglary at Dior in Union Square.
- Oct. 15: Duree is not present at court despite being ordered to appear. Her recognizance status is revoked, and Fleming orders a warrant for her arrest.
- Oct. 29: Duree is booked into San Francisco County Jail.
- Nov. 14: Duree is booked in jail on additional charges for the Dior burglary. There is no active case in court records against Duree for her alleged participation in the Dior burglary.
- As of Dec. 2, Duree was in custody without bail. She is due in court Dec. 13.
The city’s battle against shoplifting
San Francisco’s reputation has been tarnished in recent years by viral videos of “takeover-style” retail thefts, in which a mob of masked thieves rushes a Walgreens, Safeway, or CVS store, making off with whatever they can carry to sell in illegal street markets.
In fall 2023, the San Francisco Police Department announced that it was cracking down on shoplifting incidents with “blitz operations” comprising undercover stings at local stores.
The operations were immediately hailed as successful, racking up around 200 arrests by the end of that year. In June, Chief Bill Scott said the department had arrested “well over 400 people this year alone.” The SFPD did not respond to requests for data on the number of arrests and a breakdown of operations by store size.
The department funds such operations through a $15.3 million state grant that aims to target organized retail crime.
Burglaries so far this year in San Francisco are down 13% from the same period in 2023, and thefts are down 37%, police data show.