5 charged in theft ring that hit 13 counties, including Sarasota
Five Florida men face charges after state authorities say they were involved in a large-scale organized retail theft fraud scheme.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement arrested Maike Acosta De Armas, 47; Lazaro Santiago Acosta De Armas, 45; Yusser Echemendia Rodriguez, 42; Elias Ramos Hernandez, 48; and Honasi Diaz Santos, 47; all of Miami-Dade County, accused of involvement in a large-scale organized retail theft fraud scheme.
Authorities said each person in the theft ring faces multiple felony charges, including organized scheme to defraud of $50,000 or more and retail theft of multiple items within thirty days at different physical locations.
The investigation began in July 2022 when FDLE Miami agents reviewed a criminal complaint provided by the company’s organized retail crime investigator. The complaint alleged that the fraudster’s operation spanned multiple Florida counties, including in Southwest Florida and the Treasure Coast, resulting in thousands of dollars in losses.
Local and state law enforcement identified 53 theft incidents in 13 Florida counties, including Brevard, Broward, Charlotte, Collier, Indian River, Lee, Martin, Miami-Dade, Orange, Palm Beach, Sarasota, St. Lucie, and Volusia.
Authorities said the investigation revealed the organized theft ring engaged in a systematic scheme to defraud totaling more than $55,000 in losses to the company. Officials didn’t disclose the company’s name.
According to the FDLE, the scheme involved abusing the online purse system and stealing items that the suspects claimed to have already purchased online. The suspects also “returned” stolen merchandise to stores in different locations using receipts from online.
Lazaro Santiago Acosta De Armas was arrested by Miami-Dade Police this year on unrelated charges and is booked in the Metro West Detention Center without bond.
Echemendia Rodriguez was arrested by the Broward County Sheriff’s Office
on March 25, and booked into the Broward County Jail without bond.
Maike Acosta De Armas and Ramos Hernandez were arrested on March 27 and booked into the Turner Guilford Knight Detention Center, in MiamiDade County, without bond.
Diaz Santos is in the custody of the Florida Department of Corrections.
Tomas Rodriguez is a Breaking/Live News Reporter for the Naples Daily News and The News-Press. You can reach Tomas at TRodriguez@gannett.com or 772-333-5501. Connect with him on Threads @tomasfrobeltran, Instagram @tomasfrobeltran and Facebook @tomasrodrigueznews.