Thread: 133-page warrant details illegal alien family theft ring

133-page warrant details scope of alleged family theft ring

Family in ICE custody; items and cash seized now exceed $200,000

Geoff Grammer | The New Mexican
October 29, 2010

The cash seized and items stolen by a family theft ring now exceed $200,000 and the brazen operation includes walking out of stores with items as small as towels and as large as a doghouse, according to a 133-page search warrant filed by New Mexico State Police.

The three-month surveillance operation on the Santa Fe family detailed in the search warrants indicates the family routinely stole merchandise in broad daylight by using employee exits, often from stores in Albuquerque malls, put items in their vehicles, then walked back into stores for more.

They would later be seen walking into various Santa Fe homes with trash bags full of stolen merchandise and, according to police, would later sell the merchandise out of those homes.

The items stolen — an item-by-item listing of the nearly $200,000 worth of retrieved merchandise occupies most of the pages of this week's search warrant — varied from $20 towels to $500 dresses, from laptop computers to pet supplies.

"The group entered the Petco store located at 10700 Lomas Boulevard Northeast, Albuquerque," states one state police account of an Aug. 17 surveillance operation. "After about 20 minutes they walked out with a doghouse."

So far, the five charged in the crime ring are Jesus J. Garcia, 31; Cristella Garcia-Muñoz, 26; Maria Muñoz, either 61 or 52; Raul Muñoz-Uribe, 31; and Roal Muñoz-Uribe, 32. All five were charged Oct. 19 with receiving stolen property and posted $5,000 bonds last week and were released from the Santa Fe County jail, according to jail records. State police say all five are undocumented immigrants from Mexico and are still in custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The charges against them, police say, are expected to multiply now that the inventory of all the stolen items have been completed.

"It's an ongoing investigation at this point and we're still conducting surveillance operations and following up leads on numerous individuals believed to be involved," state police Lt. Eric Garcia said Friday. "That includes those people who were purchasing all these items from their homes here in Santa Fe."

Police believe the crimes may have been going on several years.

According to the various search warrants filed this week, state police searched four homes — 4532 Solecito Loop, 6757 Camino Rojo, 86 Paseo C de Baca and 1341 Calle Inez — and six vehicles in connection with the investigation.

In addition to the thousands of stolen items, police also seized $8,768.28 in cash from those arrested, including 111 $2 bills and $1,661.47 that police say Garcia-Muñoz carried in her purse at the time of her arrest.

The search warrant affidavit states a Ford Focus parked at the 86 Paseo C de Baca home was found to have a Mervyn's employee name tag with the name "Yalithea." Police have not commented on whether use of employee name tags might have been one way the group was able to move in and out of stores so easily without getting caught.

Among the stolen items listed in the search warrant return include: a $1,195 Portofino dress jacket; 50 baseball caps valued at $30 each; Apple laptop computers and various video-game systems; several hundred pieces of Victoria Secret lingerie; a $199.50 Buzz Lightyear toy; dozens of Coach purses; a $149.99 ski suit from Baby Gap; makeup, cologne and other toiletries; and two boxes of Gas X antigas pills.

While police haven't said anyone was physically harmed in the thefts, at least one store clerk who worked at The Limited clothing store in Albuquerque's Cottonwood Mall told police "she felt nervous with them in her store to the point that she locked the cash registers. She told (police) that the group mingled near the corner of the store by the exit where the jeans are located."

That exchange with the store clerk came during an Oct. 15 surveillance operation in which police say they witnessed "Jesus Garcia and Christella Garcia-Muñoz exit through the employee doors (of a mall store) around 8:23 p.m. Christella was observed with some items of clothing draped over her arm. She and Jesus got into the Nissan Altima where they remained for two to three minutes. They exited the car empty-handed ... the re-entered the mall."

After the officers watching the family would see them return items believed to be stolen, Williams said last week, they would often walk into the store to verify the items were not purchased and talk to store employees.

Williams said they did not make immediate arrests after each shoplifting incident witnessed because the surveillance operation was building more leads and allowing investigators to compile more evidence.

Williams said police seized numerous receipt books in which the family kept detailed sales records of the merchandise they were selling out of their homes, but no mention of those receipt books was made in any of the search warrants filed Thursday.

Jesus Garcia, court records state, was the ringleader of the operation and it was his May 9 arrest in Albuquerque while trying to shoplift more than $800 worth of clothing from the Hollister store in Albuquerque's Coronado Mall that made state police suspicious he was more than just a small-time shoplifter.

"At this time, he was identified by investigators who handled the case as a participant in an organized retail crime (ORC) ring," states the search warrant filed by Agent Jesse Williams.

The next court date for any of the five charged so far has not been set.

Contact Geoff Grammer at 986-3076 or ggrammer@sfnewmexican.com.

http://www.santafenewmexican.com/Local% ... theft-ring

They' re only here to work I tell you!

added to home page

http://www.alipac.us/article-5799--0-0.html

According to this administration these individuals are the perfect candidates for amnesty, citizenship and government benefits. Unbelievable.....They are caught using stolen identities to take jobs from Americans, illegally vote, obtain taxpayer benefits and there are no consequences for this. We are a corrupt third world banana republic with nuclear weapons.

Originally Posted by retiredairforce

According to this administration these individuals are the perfect candidates for amnesty, citizenship and government benefits. Unbelievable.....They are caught using stolen identities to take jobs from Americans, illegally vote, obtain taxpayer benefits and there are no consequences for this. We are a corrupt third world banana republic with nuclear weapons.

Amazing the amount of crime these people are allowed to get away with in the US. Only the illegals from Mexico have it so good.

So far, the five charged in the crime ring are Jesus J. Garcia, 31; Cristella Garcia-Muñoz, 26; Maria Muñoz, either 61 or 52; Raul Muñoz-Uribe, 31; and Roal Muñoz-Uribe, 32. All five were charged Oct. 19 with receiving stolen property and posted $5,000 bonds last week and were released from the Santa Fe County jail, according to jail records. State police say all five are undocumented immigrants from Mexico and are still in custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

These third-world criminals are a perfect example of those obummer wants to give amnesty to! Just another example of those "hard working" illegal invaders "doing the jobs Americans will not do!'

Oh...and you still don't think illegal invaders are voting in our elections! I'm sure these dirt bags were terrified of breaking voter laws and being charged (as if that would ever happen anyway) with felonies.

Deport this trash!

Originally Posted by mapwife

They' re only here to work I tell you!

I am as shocked as you are Map. Harry Reid told me that they are busy picking lettuce in the fields and going to school at night to learn English and become scientists. They are illegal. They would never do sonething as stupid as shoplifting and risk being deported from this country that they love and respect so much.