BRENTWOOD PAWNSHOP OWNER SENTENCED TO THREE TO NINE YEARS IN PRISON FOR OPERATING AN ORGANIZED RETAIL THEFT RING

(SUFFOLK COUNTY, N.Y.) – Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney today announced that Carlos Ulloa, 51, of Patchogue was sentenced to three to nine years in prison after pleading guilty in September to Enterprise Corruption, Money Laundering, and Criminal Possession of a Weapon.

“Make no mistake,” said District Attorney Tierney. “We will not tolerate organized retail theft in Suffolk County. We will protect our businesses and the jobs that come with a thriving business community. Here, our Suffolk County Police detectives did not simply catch and release these low-level boosters. Instead, they followed them to uproot the entire stolen goods operation. As a result, this ringleader was held responsible with a serious prison sentence, a ban on his returning to the pawn business, and forfeiture of nearly $2 million in stolen goods and criminal proceeds. In Suffolk County, we support our businesses and, more importantly, the communities that they serve.”  

According to the investigation and the defendants’ allocutions during their guilty pleas, between May 14, 2020 and August 6, 2022, after EZ Pawn manager, Sandra Hinds, and her employees at the pawnshop received stolen merchandise from thieves, Ulloa and his associates then transported the stolen merchandise to his warehouse in Patchogue. The stolen items were then stored, inventoried, photographed, and listed for sale online.  The selling of stolen items online generated a large sum of criminal proceeds for Ulloa.

Search warrants executed on August 6, 2022, at the pawnshop, the warehouse, and Ulloa’s residence, resulted in the seizure of brand-new stolen merchandise belonging to retailers throughout Suffolk County. During the search of Ulloa’s residence, police also seized an unlicensed stolen handgun.

Ulloa, the owner and operator of EZ Cash Pawn & Jewelry in Brentwood, pleaded guilty on September 11, 2023 before Supreme Court Justice, the Honorable John B. Collins, to one count of Enterprise Corruption, a Class B felony, one count of Money Laundering in the Second Degree, a Class C felony, and Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Third Degree, a Class D felony.  Ulloa’s corporations, Ulloa Global LLC and Ulloa Commercial LLC, also pleaded guilty to Enterprise Corruption. 

Ulloa was ordered to surrender his Dealers in Second-Hand Articles License and Precious Metal/Gems License to the Suffolk County Department of Labor, Licensing & Consumer Affairs, and as a result, upon his release, he will not be able to enter into any businesses involving pawn shops or purchasing second-hand articles for reselling. Also, Ulloa has already terminated his rental of the warehouse. Moreover, Ulloa forfeited $968,081 in criminal proceeds, as well as approximately $1 million in stolen merchandise.

On February 2, 2024, Justice Collins ordered Ulloa to serve an indeterminate sentence of three to nine years in prison for his conviction to Enterprise Corruption and Money Laundering, and an indeterminate sentence of two and one-third to seven years in prison for his conviction to Criminal Possession of a Weapon. Ulloa’s corporations, Ulloa Global LLC, Ulloa Commercial LLC were sentenced to a three-year conditional discharge. Ulloa and his corporations were represented by David Besso, Esq.

Sandra Cruz, 25, of Patchogue, the manager at the warehouse where the stolen merchandise was stored, pleaded guilty on August 14, 2023 before the Honorable John B. Collins, to one count of Attempted Enterprise Corruption, a Class C felony.  Cruz is expected to be sentenced to six months of incarceration followed by five years of probation on April 12, 2024. Cruz is represented by Daniel Sullivan, Esq.

Sandra Hinds, 47, of Brentwood, the manager at EZ Cash Pawn & Jewelry, pleaded guilty on August 23, 2023 before the Honorable John B. Collins, to one count of Attempted Enterprise Corruption, a Class C felony. Hinds is expected to be sentenced to six months of incarceration followed by five years of probation on April 12, 2024. Hinds is represented by Geroge Duncan, Esq.

Henry Delgado, 42, of Brentwood, the associate who laundered the criminal proceeds of the online sales of stolen merchandise in furtherance of the criminal enterprise, pleaded guilty on September 25, 2023 before the Honorable John B. Collins, to one count of Attempted Enterprise Corruption, a Class C felony. Delgado is expected to be sentenced to six months of incarceration followed by five years of probation on February 20, 2024. Delgado is represented by William Keahon, Esq.

These cases were prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys James Bartens and Adriana Noyola of the Financial Crimes Bureau, with investigative assistance from Suffolk County Police Department’s District Attorney Squad.

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Defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty. No one is above the law.

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