First Sentence In Brentwood Pawn Shop Stolen Property Fencing Ring

BRENTWOOD, NY — The leader of a retail theft ring that used a Brentwood pawn shop as a front was sentenced Friday to three to nine years in prison.

Carlos Ulloa of Patchogue and three associates were arrested in 2022 and pleaded guilty to various charges in 2023. Ulloa was sentenced Friday and the others are scheduled for sentencing in February and April.

According to the investigation and the guilty pleas, the ring used “boosters," or thieves, who stole items from major retailers such as Lowe’s, Home Depot, Petco and PetSmart, prosecutors said. When EZ Pawn manager Sandra Hinds and her employees at the shop received stolen merchandise, Ulloa and associates transported it to his warehouse in Patchogue.

The items were stored, inventoried, photographed, and listed for sale online. That generated a large sum of criminal proceeds for Ulloa between May 14, 2020 and Aug. 6, 2022.

Search warrants executed on Aug. 6, 2022, at the pawnshop, the warehouse, and Ulloa’s
residence, resulted in the seizure of brand-new stolen merchandise belonging to retailers throughout Suffolk County, prosecutors said.

During the search of Ulloa’s home in Patchogue, police also seized an unlicensed stolen handgun.

"Here, our Suffolk County Police detectives did not simply catch and release these low-level boosters. Instead, they followed them to uproot the entire stolen goods operation," Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney said in the announcement Monday. "As a result, this ringleader was held responsible with a serious prison sentence, a ban on his returning to the pawn business, and forfeiture of nearly $2 million in stolen goods and criminal proceeds. In Suffolk County, we support our businesses and, more importantly, the communities that they serve."

Ulloa, 51, pleaded guilty on Sept. 11 before Supreme Court Justice John B. Collins, to one count of Enterprise Corruption, a Class B felony, one count of Money Laundering in the Second Degree, a Class C felony, and Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Third Degree, a Class D felony.Ulloa’s corporations, Ulloa Global LLC and Ulloa Commercial LLC, also pleaded guilty to Enterprise Corruption.

“Make no mistake,” Tierney said in the announcement. “We will not tolerate organized retail theft in Suffolk County. We will protect our businesses and the jobs that come with a thriving business community."

On Friday, Justice Collins ordered Ulloa to serve an indeterminate sentence of three to nine years in prison for Enterprise Corruption and Money Laundering, and an indeterminate sentence of two and one-third to seven years in prison for Criminal Possession of a Weapon. Ulloa’s corporations, Ulloa Global LLC, Ulloa Commercial LLC were sentenced to a three-year conditional discharge.

Ulloa forfeited $968,081 in criminal proceeds, as well as about $1 million in stolen merchandise.

He was also ordered to surrender his Dealers in Second-Hand Articles License and Precious Metal/Gems License to the Suffolk County Department of Labor, Licensing & Consumer Affairs, and as a result, upon his release, he will not be able to enter into any businesses involving pawn shops or purchasing second-hand articles for reselling.

Patch reached out to Ulloa's lawyer, David Besso, Esq., for comment.

In addition to Ulloa, three other associates also pleaded guilty in 2023.

Sandra Cruz, 25, of Patchogue, the manager at the warehouse where the stolen merchandise was stored, pleaded guilty on Aug. 14, before Judge Collins, to one count of Attempted Enterprise Corruption, a Class C felony. Cruz is expected to be sentenced on April 12 to six months of incarceration followed by five years of probation. Cruz is represented by Daniel Sullivan, Esq.

"She was an employee of the pawn shop, she never profited from any of the illegal activity," Sullivan told Patch Tuesday. "But she did plead guilty because she was involved in how they did their business."

Pregnant, Cruz had a baby around the time of her guilty plea, he said. "Six months and then she'll be on probation," Sullivan said. "She wanted to get it done and move on with her life."

Sandra Hinds, 47, of Brentwood, the manager at EZ Cash Pawn & Jewelry, pleaded guilty on Aug. 23, before Judge Collins, to one count of Attempted Enterprise Corruption, a Class C felony. Hinds is expected to be sentenced to six months of incarceration followed by five years of probation on April 12.

Henry Delgado, 42, of Brentwood, the associate who laundered the criminal proceeds of the online sales of stolen merchandise, pleaded guilty on Sept. 25, before Judge Collins, to one count of Attempted Enterprise Corruption, a Class C felony. Delgado is expected to be sentenced to six months of incarceration followed by five years of probation on Feb. 20.

Patch reached out to Hinds' lawyer, George Duncan, and Delgado's lawyer, William Keahon, for comment.

The cases were prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys James Bartens and Adriana Noyola of the Financial Crimes Bureau, with investigative assistance from Suffolk County Police Department’s District Attorney Squad.

SEE: LI Pawn Shop Owner Accused Of Running Organized Retail Theft Ring