The owner of a Corona boutique and two of his employees were arrested and charged with criminal possession of stolen property for their alleged roles in a fencing operation.
More than $50,000 in merchandise was allegedly stolen from major retailers, including Macy’s, Lululemon, Abercrombie & Fitch and American Eagle, which were offered for sale at a steep discount at the Elegant Fashion boutique, were recovered during a raid at the store at 104-10 Roosevelt Ave.
Cesar Castillo, 55, of 195th Place in Hollis, the owner of record of the business, was arraigned in Queens Criminal Court on Sept. 11 on a charge of criminal possession of stolen merchandise in the second degree. Maria Sirena Quiroz, 56, of Martense Avenue, and Soraya Vargas, 56, of 42nd Avenue, both in Corona, were arraigned on Sept. 10 on a charge of criminal possession of stolen property in the second degree.
“As alleged, the Elegant Fashion boutique in Corona was selling clothing and other goods at far below retail prices,” Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said. “Our investigation revealed that most of the inventory was stolen from major retailers.”
According to the charges and the investigation, a court-authorized search warrant was executed at the boutique located on the second floor retail space on Sept. 9. The store shelves were lined with clothing and fragrances, with additional clothing hanging on racks. The stolen merchandise recovered included 238 items of clothing and fragrance belonging to Macy’s, valued at approximately $17,170.68 items of clothing belonging to Lululemon, valued at around $8,088, 285 items of clothing and fragrances belonging to Abercrombie & Fitch, valued at approximately $13,015, and 356 items of clothing belonging to American Eagle, valued at around $18,540.
Additional items of clothing belonging to American Eagle and Victoria’s Secret were also recovered. The stolen goods were identified by organized retail theft investigators from Macy’s, Lululemon, Abercrombie & Fitch, American Eagle, and Gap INC., and members of the NYPD’s Criminal Intelligence Section.
“While shoppers may have believed they were getting a good deal, organized retail theft ultimately harms consumers by forcing prices to rise, putting legitimate retailers out of business,” Katz said. “Three defendants have now been charged in connection with this operation.”
The defendants were ordered to return to court on Oct. 27. They each face up to five to 15 years in prison, if convicted.
