Attorney General Ashley Moody has announced the arrests of five individuals involved in an organized retail theft ring in Florida. The individuals arrested are Maike Acosta De Armas, Lazaro Santiago Acosta De Armas, Yusser Echemendia Rodriguez, Elias Ramos Hernandez, and Honasi Diaz Santos, all from Miami-Dade County. These individuals are facing multiple felony charges related to organized retail theft.
Moody stated, “This criminal group committed more than 53 thefts in 13 Florida counties, stealing thousands of dollars' worth of merchandise in a fraudulent systematic scheme. In Florida, we go after organized retail thieves, and now this nefarious group, thanks to the work of our law enforcement partners, will be held accountable for their crimes.”
The investigation into the organized retail theft ring began in July 2022 when FDLE Miami agents reviewed a criminal complaint provided by the company’s organized retail crime investigator. The investigation revealed that the group engaged in a systematic scheme to defraud totaling more than $55,000 in losses to the company. The scheme involved abusing the online purchase system and "returning" stolen merchandise to stores in different locations using receipts from online.
The FDLE Miami Organized Crime Squad led the investigation, with assistance from the Miami-Dade Police Department’s Retail Crimes Squad. Lazaro Santiago Acosta De Armas, Echemendia Rodriguez, Maike Acosta De Armas, Ramos Hernandez, and Diaz Santos have all been arrested and are being held in various detention centers or in the custody of the Florida Department of Corrections.
The case will be prosecuted by the Office of the Attorney General’s Office of Statewide Prosecution.