Three Middle Village men were among the seven Queens residents who were criminally charged in the largest organized retail theft prosecution in the borough’s history.
Oscar Eduardo Valencia Diaz, 41, of 60th Avenue; Mateo Arias Toro, 29, of 63rd Avenue; and David Araque Montoya, 31, of 81st Street, were charged with conspiracy, grand larceny, criminal possession of stolen property, and other related crimes, according to a 780-count indictment, announced by Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz and Gov. Kathy Hochul on Dec. 11.
There were 13 individuals arrested in the takedown for systematically and repeatedly stealing merchandise from 128 Home Depot stores as part of 319 individual thefts. Stolen items included building materials, power tools, smoke alarms, air conditioners, and even paper towels and detergent, totaling $2.2 million which were then resold to consumers, through a Brooklyn storefront or on Facebook Marketplace.
“The defendants took breaks for lunch and dinner, sometimes hitting the same Home Depot up to four times in one day,” Katz said. “Working with our partners at the New York State Police, we brought this brazen operation to a halt.”
Other Queens residents who were arrested and charged were Francisco Ayala-Ariza, 35, of 97th Street in Woodhaven; Victor Diaz, 50, of 59th Avenue, and Armondo Diaz, 52, of 56th Road, both from Flushing; and Angel Yamba Ortiz, 29, of Gleane Street in Elmhurst.
The 13 alleged crew members each face a potential maximum sentence of 15 to 25 years in prison, depending on their involvement.
