Florida Police Arrest Men Accused in Organized Retail Crime Ring

Meghan Hall
·3 min read

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) arrested five men for their alleged participation in an organized retail crime ring, it announced Tuesday.

The suspects, Maike Acosta De Armas, 47; Lazaro Santiago Acosta De Armas, 45, Yusser Echemendia Rodriguez, 42, Elias Ramos Hernandez, 48, and Honasi Diaz Santos, 47, are all residents of Miami-Dade County.

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However, according to the FDLE, their alleged crimes spanned 13 counties in Florida, including Brevard, Broward, Charlotte, Orange, Palm Beach and more. The department alleges that the five suspects were involved in 53 incidents that resulted in over $55,000 in losses.

The FDLE has charged the men with several felonies, including organized scheme to defraud $50,000 or more and retail theft of multiple items and retail theft of multiple items within 30 days at different physical locations.

A spokesperson for the FDLE told Sourcing Journal that all of the alleged thefts occurred in Home Depot stores throughout the state. The spokesperson confirmed that the De Armases, Echemendia Rodriguez, Ramos Hernandez and Diaz Santos have not been connected to any other retailer in the state at this time.

According to the FDLE, police began investigating the alleged crime ring in July 2022, after Home Depot’s organized retail crime investigator contacted them with a complaint accusing the men of an ORC operation spanning several Florida counties.

Police said the investigation has thus far yielded evidence that the suspects stole items that they said they had already purchased online, as well as returning stolen merchandise using e-commerce receipts.

Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody said the bust and subsequent charges have been a collaborative effort among multiple state agencies.

“This criminal group committed more than 53 thefts in 13 Florida counties, stealing thousands 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,” Moody said in a statement.

The bust comes about six weeks after Ron DeSantis, governor of Florida, said he would work to ensure Florida enforced stringent punishment for retail thieves.

Felipe Williams, FDLE Miami special agent in charge, said those measures will continue to allow police to apprehend ORC suspects.

“The South Florida community can rest easy knowing the policies implemented by Governor DeSantis earlier this year for stricter punishment for organized retail theft cases will make sure this group of scheming criminals will face the consequences of their actions,” Williams said in a statement. “This group hit a large business across the state resulting in profit losses for its stores directly affecting Florida’s consumer population. The State of Florida and FDLE will not take those crimes lightly.”

The five arrestees have been booked in various detention centers and jails, all without bond.

In late February, Florida officials apprehended three men accused of stealing over $100,000 worth of goods from Home Depot locations.

The FDLE spokesperson declined to comment further, stating that police continue to investigate.