Chicago family charged with stealing items from suburban Mariano's

DUPAGE COUNTY - Four family members from Chicago were arrested and charged for allegedly stealing from a Mariano's grocery story in the suburbs.

On March 9, around 5:15 p.m., prosecutors say Jeana, Debra and Christopher Ziko entered the Mariano's located at 150 W. 63rd St. in Westmont while Mark Ziko waited outside.

Inside the store, the suspects allegedly took merchandise, including formula, Red Bull, detergent, cat food and Nexium — totaling about $1,300. They then walked past the registers without paying, prosecutors said.

The store contacted Westmont police who quickly arrived at the scene and took all four suspects into custody.

In addition, prosecutors say Jeana Ziko was in possession of about 4.5 grams of fentanyl when she was arrested.

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The family members all appeared in bond court on March 10, where the judge set bond at $25,000 for 36-year-old Jeana and 53-year-old Mark, $10,000 for 56-year-old Debra and $7,500 for 55-year-old Christopher.

The suspects have been charged with burglary and retail theft. Jeana was also charged with possession of a controlled substance.

"According to the National Retail Foundation, in 2022, retail establishments across the county lost a combined estimated $34.96 billion due to retail theft," DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin said.

"That is a staggering amount of loss that can translate to higher prices for consumers, lower wages for employees and in the worst cases, lost businesses for proprietors."