A father and daughter were arrested after authorities shut down a theft ring and discovered nearly $400,000 worth of stolen merchandise.
On July 30, California Highway Patrol’s Organized Retail Theft Task Force served a search warrant at a Los Angeles home where stolen items were being stored and later sold at an open-air market in Torrance.
The leader of the fence operation, Jose Cuadra, 41, was arrested at the home after officers discovered nearly $400,000 worth of stolen retail merchandise including designer purses, shoes and perfume.
The stolen merch was being sold as legitimate brand-name items by Cuadra, authorities said.
Investigators had initially trailed two suspects who led them to Cuadra’s home. The suspects, who acted as “boosters” in the scheme, were identified as Johny Arciniegas-Cortes, 46, and his daughter, Paula Arciniegas, 28.
Boosters are individuals who steal items from stores and sell the merch to fence operators who will then sell the items to the public for profit.
The father and daughter were arrested on Aug. 14 in Anaheim.
The duo has been “observed numerous times committing retail thefts throughout Southern California,” CHP said. They’re allegedly responsible for stealing approximately $10,000 in merchandise from several local retailers.
The Orange County District Attorney’s Office filed four felony charges against Cuadra, which include:
- Two felony counts of receiving stolen property
- One felony count of organized retail theft in concert with two or more persons
- One felony count of the manufacture and sale of counterfeit mark
Cortes and Arciniegas were charged with:
- Two felony counts of grand theft
- One felony count of conspiring to commit a crime
- Four misdemeanor counts of shoplifting with a value less than $950
“The CHP has dedicated Organized Retail Theft teams in Orange County, Los Angeles, and the San Francisco Bay Area who work with retailers to combat sophisticated crews that continue to victimize merchants throughout the state,” officials said.