SAN DIEGO—Two men who took part in a string of thefts at upscale stores across San Diego County, leading to more than $200,000 in merchandise stolen across a three-month span, were each sentenced Thursday to three years and eight months in state prison.
Ernesto Louis Cruz and Jordan Guzman Lopez, both 27, targeted nine Sunglass Hut locations—some of which were robbed multiple times—and three high-end stores last year, according to Deputy District Attorney Steven Nguyen.
Along with “hundreds” of pairs of sunglasses nabbed, the men also took more than $4,000 in shoes from Nordstrom Rack, more than $7,000 in merchandise from Bloomingdales, and over $6,000 in jackets from Burberry, according to the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office.
Nguyen said the men threatened employees during the “smash-and-grab-” style hold-ups and motioned to the victims as though they were armed in order to gain compliance. According to the prosecutor, the defendants were reselling the stolen merchandise online.
Both men pleaded guilty earlier this year to robbery and grand theft counts.
In a statement, San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan said robberies of this sort have been “on the increase in the past five years.”
Stephan said, “Organized criminal rings steal large amounts of goods from businesses of all types and sizes with the intent to resell them, particularly through unregulated online marketplaces.”
