LI Pawn Shop Owner Accused Of Running Organized Retail Theft Ring

BRENTWOOD, NY — A Brentwood pawn shop owner and three associates were arrested after prosecutors said they ran an organized retail theft ring.

Carlos Ulloa, Henry Delgado, Sandra Cruz and Sandra Palomino each face a top count of felony enterprise corruption and used Ulloa’s Brentwood pawn shop as a front, Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said Wednesday.

The conspirators used “boosters," or thieves who stole items from major retailers such as Lowe’s, Home Depot, Petco and PetSmart, prosecutors said.

Ulloa, 50, of Patchogue, the owner and operator of EZ Cash Pawn and Jewelry in Brentwood and renter of a warehouse in East Patchogue where numerous stolen items were recovered, was arrested and charged with enterprise corruption; second-degree money laundering; fourth-degree conspiracy; and third-degree criminal possession of a weapon, prosecutors said.

Delgado, 40, of Medford, was arrested and charged with enterprise corruption; second-degree money laundering; and fourth-degree conspiracy.

Delgado sold the stolen goods online through internet websites, Tierney said.

Cruz, 23, of Patchogue, an associate of Ulloa who managed the warehouse and its employees and utilized the warehouse to sell stolen goods for Ulloa through online websites, was arrested and charged with enterprise corruption and fourth-degree conspiracy, Tierney said.

Palomino, 45, of Brentwood, the manager of EZ Pawn and its employees, was arrested and charged with a count of enterprise corruption; and fourth-degree conspiracy.

Between October 1, 2021, and August 6, 2022, after Palomino bought stolen merchandise from boosters at the pawn shop, Ulloa and his associates then transported them to the warehouse in East Patchogue, according to court documents and statements made at the arraignments.

The stolen items were then photographed, listed on internet websites to be resold, and packaged for delivery, Tierney said. The repeated act of reselling stolen items on different platforms generated a large sum of criminal proceeds, Tierney said.

During the 10-month period, the investigation revealed that more than $1 million was transferred just from eBay accounts to bank accounts owned by Ulloa, Tierney said. Delgado would then issue checks to Ulloa and his two corporations when requested by Ulloa to do so, Tierney said.

Search warrants executed on August 6, 2022 at the pawn shop, the warehouse and Ulloa's
residence resulted in the seizure of thousands of new products stolen from retailers
throughout Suffolk County, Tierney said. Police also seized a stolen handgun and
illegal high capacity magazines, Tierney said.

“These defendants and their associates allegedly engaged in a massive stolen property fencing operation run out of a pawn shop that has been fueling the retail theft epidemic in Suffolk County and elsewhere,” said Tierney.

Ulloa, Cruz, Palomino and Delgado were arraigned by the Honorable Jennifer A.
Henry on August 6; each was ordered to be held on bail, Tierney said.

Ulloa is being held on $1 million cash/$3 million bond or $10 million partially secured bond; he is being represented by David Besso, Esq., Tierney said. Besso was not immediately available for comment.

Delgado is being held on $750,000 cash or $1.5 million bond or $7.5 million in partially secured bond; he is being represented by William Keahon, Esq, Tierney said. Keahon was not immediately available for comment.

Subsequently, on August 8 and 9, the Honorable James A. Saladino ordered the release of
Cruz and Palomino and placed them on supervised release and GPS monitoring, Tierney said.

Cruz is represented by Daniel Sullivan, Esq. "I believe she was overcharged by the DA'd office, with an enterprise corruption charge," Sullivan said. "I don't think they will be able to prove it. I look forward to defending this case in the future. She was an employee; someone was using her. She was paid an hourly wage and I don't think they will have the elements it will take to prove the enterprise corruption charge, a very serious charge. I'm gathering evidence and look forward to vigorously defending the case."

Palomino is being represented by George Duncan, Esq, Tierney said. Duncan was not immediately available for comment.