22 indicted in ICE-led probe into multimillion dollar theft ring that targeted upscale shopping malls in San Diego area and nationwide

SAN DIEGO – A San Diego federal grand jury has indicted 22 defendants following a long-term probe spearheaded by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) into a highly organized, often violent theft ring suspected of stealing more than $20 million worth of merchandise from upscale shopping malls in the San Diego area and nationwide.

Twelve of the defendants named in the indictment were arrested Wednesday morning during a carefully coordinated operation in the San Diego area involving more than 250 federal, state, and local law enforcement personnel. Three of those charged in the cases were already in custody. The other seven individuals named in the indictment remained at large as of early Wednesday afternoon. The defendants who are in custody are scheduled to make their initial appearances in federal court Thursday morning before U.S. Magistrate Judge Barbara Lynn Major.

As part of Wednesday’s enforcement actions, investigators searched three homes in Lemon Grove, Chula Vista, and San Diego. The searches resulted in the confiscation of approximately $30,000 in cash, along with about a dozen large trash bags filled with new clothing, the merchandise tags and security devices still attached. The goods included items from Victoria’s Secret, Hollister Co., Guess, Express, and Abercrombie & Fitch, and brands such as Calvin Klein, Hurley, Armani, Adidas, Kenneth Cole, and Puma. Agents also recovered piles of new Louis Vuitton shoes and boxes of security sensors that had been removed from clothing.

The indictment alleges the defendants formed crews of thieves to steal merchandise from retail stores throughout the U.S. The stolen items were then transported across state lines and sold in Mexico. According to the indictment, on Oct. 23, 2013, defendant Maria Angelica Mendez Valdivia had more than $480,000 worth of merchandise stolen from at least 57 retailers. The indictment states the goods were then transported to Mexico and sold to an alleged “fence,” defendant Sara Portilla, who is accused of selling the merchandise from a store she operates in Tijuana.  

The highly organized ring, which investigators believe has been in operation for over a decade, assigned members of its theft crews specific roles. Team leaders selected the stores to target, scouted the locations, and choreographed the actions of other team members using cell phones and hand signals. The team’s so-called “mules” smuggled the stolen merchandise out of stores in “booster bags” fitted with metallic linings designed to defeat anti-theft sensors. And finally, the team’s “blockers” prevented store employees from seeing the ongoing theft, either by obstructing their view, distracting them, or by physically preventing the employees from responding.

When necessary, court documents state, the teams used force against store employees, customers, and law enforcement to escape. For example, the indictment alleges that in November 2009 defendant Sergio Manuel Montano Nava knocked over an infant in its stroller and injured the child’s father to avoid being arrested for a theft at a Hollister store in Schaumburg, Illinois. In November 2012, defendants Jose Damazo Herrera, Robin Macias, and others allegedly drove vehicles through a crowd while fleeing a theft from a Hollister store in the Fashion Valley Mall in San Diego. In yet another incident in March 2013, one of the defendants allegedly grabbed a loss prevention officer by the throat and threw her to the ground while running from a theft at Abercrombie & Fitch at the Plaza Bonita Mall in National City.

“The mall is supposed to be a safe place for families to shop, eat and enjoy themselves,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Alana Robinson. “Instead, a prolific and violent group of thieves has stolen millions of dollars in merchandise as well as peace of mind from mall employees and customers. With today’s action, we are protecting customers and businesses both physically and economically, and we are restoring and preserving the safety of our community gathering spots.”

The indictment lists 38 thefts allegedly linked to the ring that occurred at various clothing stores in Southern California and nationwide. The Southern California locations included retailers in San Diego, Escondido, National City, San Clemente, Ventura, Oxnard, Camarillo, the City of Industry, Orange, Mission Viejo, Northridge, and Canoga Park. Thefts linked to the ring are also believed to have occurred in Las Vegas, Nevada; Frederick, Maryland; Vancouver, Washington; and Schaumburg, Illinois. Typically each of the thefts alleged in the indictment resulted in losses of several thousand dollars in merchandise.

“Crimes that cross jurisdictional lines can be challenging for any one agency to investigate,” said San Diego Police Chief Shelley Zimmerman. “It takes a partnership and commitment from agencies at all levels to collapse the most sophisticated crime rings that exist today. The collaboration we have here in San Diego between law enforcement agencies is second to none.  I am so proud of the efforts in this complex case to bring these thieves to justice.”  

Below are the individuals charged in the indictment unsealed Wednesday. The asterisks indicate those defendants who remained at large as of early Wednesday afternoon:

• Sara Portilla , 39, of San Diego;
• Maria Angelica Mendez, 43, of San Diego;
• Jose Mora, 49, of Oceanside;
• Julio Gabriel Lopez Moreno, 41, of Chula Vista;
• Alejandro Madrinan, 43, of San Diego;
• Araceli Razo, 42, of Imperial Beach;
• Eduardo Madrinan, 22, of Lemon Grove
• Carlos Gomez Daza, 32, of San Diego;
• Karina Yvette Saman Rojas, 29, of San Diego;
• Juan Manuel Juarez Herrera, 41, San Diego;
• James Sanabria, 31, of San Diego;
• Josue Antonio Damazo Herrera, 26, of San Diego;
• Jose Damazo Herrera, 28, San Diego;
• Brandon Ramirez Salas, 22, of Mexico;
• Jesus Raymundo Razo Del Angel, 23, of San Diego;
• Jacob Palacios, 24, of San Diego;
• Robin Macias, 33, of Chula Vista;
• Giovani Razo Alvarez, 33, of San Diego;
• Adrian Razo, 29, of Atlanta, Georgia;
• Sergio Manuel Montana Nava, 31, of San Diego;
• Vanessa Medina Munguia, age unknown, San Diego; and
• Adrian Ulices Reyna Rodriguez, 21, of  San Diego.

The defendants face a variety of charges including conspiracy to transport stolen goods across state lines and international borders; receiving stolen goods which have crossed state or international borders; and illegal re-entry after deportation. The maximum penalties for the charged offenses range from five to 20 years in prison and fines of up to $250,000.

The charges and allegations contained in an indictment or complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.

While HSI spearheaded this probe, numerous other agencies and their enforcement components aided with the investigation and/or with Wednesday’s searches and arrests. Those agencies or components include ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations; the Orange County Sheriff’s Department; the U.S. Marshals Service; U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP); CBP – Border Patrol; and the San Diego, Carlsbad, Escondido, National City, and San Diego Harbor police departments.