A Chula Vista woman and two others have pleaded guilty to grand theft as part of a high-end retail clothing thefts from stores in National City, La Jolla, and elsewhere.
Clothing taken from the Hollister Co. store and Abercrombie and Fitch stores were resold at the South Bay Swap Meet and another in Spring Valley for half the value, according to court records. The clothing seized by authorities was valued at $12,000.
Lorena Gabriela Ramirez, 43, and Zakharias Dennis Karasoulas, 51, will both be sentenced on July 25 by San Diego Superior Court Judge Dan Link. Mario Andres Espinoza, 42, will be sentenced on Aug. 31.
Ramirez is believed to be the ringleader and stolen property was recovered from her Chula Vista residence. Espinoza, also known as Mario Esker, worked recently in a South Bay shoe store. Karasoulas lived in Lake Elsinore.
Ramirez and Karasoulas have agreed to pay back $6,643 and $4,876 respectively as part of their sentences. The restitution amount for Espinoza was set at $1,767.
The first theft confirmed by video camera surveillance occurred Sept. 1, 2015 when Ramirez put 15 men’s polo-style shirts inside her large black purse and she and Karasoulas left the Hollister store in La Jolla without paying for them. Each shirt sold for $29.95 each, and the store’s loss in this incident was $449.25, according to court records.
The fourth theft occurred March 31 at the Hollister store in Plaza Bonita Mall when Ramirez concealed stacks of t-shirts in her large black purse. The value of clothing taken was $658, records say. On April 4, Ramirez fled the Hollister store in National City with stolen clothing valued at $1,018.
Managers at several stores attempted to confront Ramirez and Karasoulas but they escaped each time. Espinoza joined his co-defendants in the thefts on April 4, according to court documents.
On May 4, Karasoulas was stopped by sheriff’s deputies for speeding and weaving between lanes on Interstate 15 in his white van. Deputies discovered Karasoulas was driving on a suspended license and was in possession of 154 clothing items taken from the Hollister stores and Abercrombie & Fitch.
Ramirez, Karasoulas, and Espinoza all face maximum terms of three years in prison. Since they have agreed to pay restitution, sentences of 180 to 120 days in jail are anticipated, according to records.
Ramirez and Karasoulas remain in jail without bail while Espinoza is free on $20,000 bond.
