Thirteen defendants have pleaded guilty and been sentenced after prosecutors said the organized retail theft ring carried out 319 thefts at 128 Home Depot locations.
QUEENS, NY — Thirteen defendants have now pleaded guilty and been sentenced for their roles in a highly organized retail theft operation that prosecutors say stole more than $2.2 million in merchandise from Home Depot stores across nine states.
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said the crew carried out 319 documented thefts over a 13-month period, targeting 128 Home Depot locations and stealing power tools, building supplies, smoke detectors, air conditioners and other merchandise.
The goods were then sold to black-market retailers, known as fences, who resold them to consumers.
“This was a remarkable investigation that spanned nine states and 128 Home Depot locations,” Katz said. “These 13 defendants stole and resold power tools, appliances and building supplies as part of well-organized and disciplined operation that ultimately took $2.2 million in merchandise from the retailer.”
Ringleader Sentenced to 3 to 6 Years
Armando Diaz, 52, of Flushing, was sentenced Monday to three to six years in prison after previously pleading guilty to grand larceny and criminal possession of stolen property charges.
Katz identified Diaz as the ringleader of the theft crew.
“With today’s sentence of three to six years in prison, ringleader Armando Diaz is the last of the 13 defendants to have pleaded to a felony and been sentenced,” Katz said.
The investigation began in June 2024 when Queens DA investigators spotted stolen air conditioners from Home Depot while conducting surveillance in an unrelated case.
That discovery led to a joint investigation with New York State Police that included license plate readers, court-authorized electronic surveillance and video and documentary evidence supplied by Home Depot.
More information about the case is available through the Queens District Attorney’s Office.
Crew Allegedly Met at 5:30 A.M. Before Daily “Hits”
According to prosecutors, between Aug. 14, 2024, and Sept. 11, 2025, Diaz and members of the crew met nearly every morning at 5:30 a.m. in an East Elmhurst parking lot to plan the day’s thefts.
Prosecutors said the group reviewed Home Depot’s website and app to decide which stores had merchandise they wanted to steal.
Diaz and seven crew members would then travel in his van and a separate lookout vehicle to the targeted locations.
Three or four crew members allegedly entered stores separately and acted as if they were browsing.
Prosecutors said Diaz remained on a conference call with the group through earbuds, directing what items to steal, how to take them and whether employees or others were watching.
Garbage Bins, Plywood Used to Hide Stolen Goods
The crew allegedly used 96-gallon garbage bins and shopping carts to move stolen merchandise from stores.
In some cases, prosecutors said a crew member placed a large sheet of plywood or sheetrock in a cart to shield stolen goods as the cart was wheeled outside.
Other members allegedly distracted employees while accomplices left with merchandise.
Among the items most frequently stolen were insulation kits, roof coating, power tools, air conditioners and smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.
The value of merchandise stolen in a single day ranged from about $1,800 to nearly $35,000, prosecutors said.
More Than $1.4 Million in Merchandise Recovered
Once the crew completed its thefts, prosecutors said the merchandise was sold to five fences.
Transactions allegedly took place in parking lots, storage units, homes, storefronts and street locations in the Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens.
Arrested:
Armando Diaz, 52, of Flushing, pleaded guilty on July 1 to grand larceny in the first and second degrees and criminal possession of stolen property in the first and second degrees in satisfaction of the indictment. Diaz was sentenced on October 5 to three to six years in prison.
Francisco Ayala-Ariza, 36, of Woodhaven, pleaded guilty on May 20 to grand larceny in the first degree. Ayala-Ariza was sentenced on June 10 to one to three years in prison.
Wilfredo “Fredo” Arango-Calle, 38, of Oakland Gardens, pleaded guilty on June 1 to grand larceny in the first degree. Arango-Calle was sentenced on June 18 to one to three years in prison.
Oscar Eduardo Valencia Diaz, 41, of Middle Village, pleaded guilty on May 18 to grand larceny in the first degree. Diaz was sentenced on June 15 to one to three years in prison.
Mateo Arias Toro, 30, of Middle Village, pleaded guilty on June 29 to grand larceny in the second degree. Toro was sentenced on July 23 to one to three years in prison.
Victor Diaz, 51, of Flushing, pleaded guilty on April 13 to grand larceny in the third degree. He was sentenced on April 13 to 364 days in jail.
Joana Carolina “La Mona” Fermin, 39, of Hicksville, pleaded guilty on June 11 to criminal possession of stolen property in the third degree. She was sentenced on September 30 to 364 days in jail.
Freddy “El Torito” Padilla, 46, of the Bronx, pleaded guilty on July 23 to criminal possession of stolen property in the third degree. Padilla was sentenced on July 23 to five years of probation.
Jonathan Tascon Suarez, 32, of Orange County, pleaded guilty on February 18 to grand larceny in the third degree. Suarez was sentenced on February 18 to 364 days in jail.
Kyle “Italian” Goonan, 35, of Brooklyn, pleaded guilty on March 24 to grand larceny in third degree. Goonan was sentenced on April 23 to three years of probation.
David Araque Montoya, 32, of Middle Village, pleaded guilty on June 8 to grand larceny in third degree. Montoya was sentenced on June 8 to 364 days in jail.
Angel Yamba Ortiz, 30, of Elmhurst, pleaded guilty on June 29 to criminal possession of stolen property in the fourth degree. Ortiz was sentenced on June 29 to a conditional discharge.
Nechemia Blatter, 62, of Brooklyn, pleaded guilty on August 17 to criminal possession of stolen property in the third degree. Blatter was sentenced on August 17 to a conditional discharge and must pay restitution to Home Depot in the amount of $20,000.
Court-authorized searches of three homes, 14 storage units and eight vehicles resulted in the recovery of more than $1.4 million worth of stolen merchandise.
Authorities seized items including copper wire, lithium-ion batteries, power tools, air conditioners, chainsaws, smoke detectors, roof coating, portable jump starters and electrical equipment.
The recovered property is expected to be returned to Home Depot.
Prosecutors also said $53,770 was forfeited to the Queens District Attorney’s Office along with five vehicles. One defendant was ordered to pay $20,000 in restitution.
Sentences Ranged From Prison to Probation
The eight alleged theft crew members received sentences ranging from 364 days in jail to three years in prison.
Five defendants identified as fences were also sentenced, with penalties ranging from conditional discharges and probation to jail time.
The case was investigated by the Queens District Attorney’s Detective Bureau and the New York State Police, with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations, the New York Attorney General’s Special Operations Unit and Home Depot.
The case adds to ongoing enforcement against organized retail theft across New York, Queens and the broader Crime beat.