Two men who took part in a string of thefts at upscale stores across San Diego County, leading to more than $200,000 in merchandise losses, were each sentenced Thursday to three years and eight months in prison.
Ernesto Louis Cruz and Jordan Guzman Lopez, both 27, pled guilty to crimes involving several San Diego retailers across a three-month span, Deputy District Attorney Steven Nguyen said.
The duo were part of an organized retail theft ring that stole more than $200,000 in merchandise.
Along with “hundreds” of pairs of sunglasses from Sunglass Hut, the men also took more than $4,000 in shoes from Nordstrom Rack, more than $7,000 in merchandise from Bloomingdales and over $6,000 in jackets from Burberry, according to the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office.
Nguyen said the men threatened employees during the smash-and-grab hold-ups and motioned to the victims as though they were armed in order to gain compliance. The defendants then re-sold the stolen merchandise online, he added.
Both men pleaded guilty earlier this year to robbery and grand theft counts.
In a statement, San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan said robberies of this sort have been “on the increase in the past five years,” as organized criminal rings steal large amounts of goods with the intent to resell them, particularly on online marketplaces.
– City News Service
Updated 6:15 p.m. Feb. 23, 2023
