NORRISTOWN, Pa. (CBS) – Two men are under arrest in Montgomery County, accused of running a sophisticated retail theft operation that resulted in more than $24,000 worth of merchandise being stolen from several Target stores in eleven counties in eastern Pennsylvania.

County prosecutors say Eugene Romano of Lehigh County and Damian Gasdaska of New Jersey purchased merchandise — including Dyson vacuum cleaners and Bose speakers — at a small fraction of the actual retail price by using fake UPC labels they attached to the items.

Investigators say the two men would then sell the items on eBay for slightly less than retail price but a lot more than what they paid for it, generating more than $170,000.

Montgomery County DA Risa Ferman says this should serve as a warning to other retailers.

“The thieves out there are incredibly clever,” she says.   “They are sophisticated and manipulative and smart, and they are looking for ways that they can cheat and steal.”

Ferman says the men used the money they generated from the scheme to pay their everyday living expenses, including their mortgage.  She says they also used false and stolen identities to cover up their crimes.

Reported by Brad Segall, KYW Newsradio 1060