Duo Pleads Guilty In Lake Elsinore Organized Retail Thefts

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — A man and woman who perpetrated a series of thefts at Inland Empire stores and other locations, netting more than $120,000 in stolen goods, both pleaded guilty Monday to a half dozen counts of organized retail theft and were immediately sentenced to two years' felony probation.

Giovanni Munoz Leon, 51, and Nury Alejandra Herrera Palacio, 32, both of Ontario, admitted the charges during a status hearing at the Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta Monday.

It was unclear whether Leon and Palacio reached plea deals with the Riverside County District Attorney's Office, or made their admissions directly to Superior Court Judge Jeff Zimel.

Along with the terms of probation, the judge ordered both defendants to serve three months in a sheriff's work release program, as well as directed Palacio to pay $22,487 in victim restitution.

According to sheriff's Sgt. Robert Thomas, the defendants snatched a number of beauty products from the shelves of a Lake Elsinore outlet in late August, then proceeded to flee the location without paying. The estimated loss to the business was $3,000.

Thomas said that the ensuing investigation did not turn up sufficient evidence to reveal the perpetrators' identities, but Leon and Palacio returned to the same store on Sept. 28 and grabbed $2,000 in merchandise before fleeing again. This time, investigators were able to procure enough information to identify the thieves, he said.

"They determined that from June to October of this year, Leon and Palacio were responsible for over 50 thefts within California, totaling $123,000 in (stolen) merchandise," the sergeant said.

Detectives obtained a search warrant for the pair's shared residence in the 2500 block of East Riverside Drive, "where evidence connecting them to the thefts was recovered," Thomas said.

"During the search, stolen clothing was located from multiple retail establishments," he said.

The defendants were taken into custody without incident on Oct. 24.

Neither had documented prior felony convictions in Riverside County.