SAN DIEGO–Four people were arrested and charged with a series of thefts at several high-end retail stores throughout San Diego county, authorities say.
Investigators say Lorena Ramirez and Zakharias Karasoulas allegedly have personally stolen an estimated total of over $700,000 since 2011. The victims of the thefts were Abercrombie and Fitch, Hollister, Victoria’s Secret and Gap retail stores. A search warrant services resulted in the arrest of Ramirez, Karasoulas, Dion Karasoulas, and Mario Espinoza, as well as the seizure of over $12,000 in new and tagged retail merchandise.
The suspects were arrested and charged with grand theft, conspiracy to commit grand theft, possession of stolen property, and felony warrant charges. The search warrant execution and arrests were important in the closure of 11 documented theft cases spanning over three states and five counties throughout California.
After a two and a half month long criminal investigation, detectives from the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department, Rancho San Diego Station, Escondido Police, and National City Police Department, in collaboration with Corporate Loss Prevention officers from Abercrombie and Fitch, Hollister, Victoria’s Secret, JCPenney and Gap stores, executed simultaneous search warrants on residences in South San Diego, Chula Vista, and the Lake Elsinore area.