Two Arrested in Connection With Thefts of More than $45,000 Worth of Beauty Products

One suspect believed to be connected to the crime spree is still at large.

An Ulta Beauty sign in Levittown, New York, on March 16, 2020. Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

A pair of suspects have been arrested on suspicion of retail theft across the San Francisco Bay Area totaling more than $45,000.

Nicholas Beltran, 25, and Maria Figueroa, 19, are suspected of involvement in 35 thefts of beauty products from local Ulta Beauty stores, according to the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office.

Officials recovered stolen property totaling more than $10,000 after a search of the suspects’ home in San Jose, the sheriff’s office reported on May 19.

The goods included cosmetics, perfumes, sunglasses, clothing, tools, and nearly $1,500 in cash.

The search also uncovered suspected drugs and drug paraphernalia, including packaging materials and digital scales.

The county’s Retail Theft Task Force connected the suspects to thefts in San Jose, Cupertino, Sunnyvale, and Campbell.

Their larger suspected theft spree also involved Target and Home Depot stores “from Placer County to Monterey County and several other Bay Area counties in between,” according to the sheriff’s office.

Beltran and Figueroa have been charged with several counts of organized retail theft. Beltran, who has a prior burglary conviction, has also been charged with “numerous” counts of grand theft.

One suspect believed to be connected to the crime spree is still at large.

“Steal in Santa Clara County, and we’ll come knocking!” the sheriff’s office stated.

The Retail Theft Task Force also took down another crime ring last month tied to nearly 200 Home Depot thefts and more than $92,000 in stolen merchandise, according to a press release from the sheriff’s office.

“We remain laser-focused on dismantling organized retail theft crews and holding offenders accountable,” Santa Clara County Sheriff Robert Jonsen said in the press release.

On the state level, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced in April the results from the first year of California’s organized retail theft and prosecution grants: 14,133 referrals for prosecution.

These grants are aimed at combating organized retail theft within the state, an ongoing issue in recent years.

The $267 million in funding toward 55 communities allows for hiring more police and securing more felony charges against suspects, according to Newsom’s office.

The effect of the funds has been felt on a local level in the Bay Area. San Francisco Police Chief William “Bill” Scott stated in a press release that although the city was “facing an epidemic” of retail and motor vehicle accessory theft, the state’s grants have been critical to their success in reducing such crimes.

California’s Organized Retail Crime Task Force, established in 2019, conducted a record number of investigations last year, leading to 1,707 arrests and $13.5 million worth of stolen goods recovered, the governor’s office reported.