California crime ring stole 600 times from Home Depot — swiping $4M in goods
A notorious crime ring has been busted for stealing over 600 times from Home Depot stores across Southern California, resulting in nearly $4 million worth of stolen goods. This group carried out the largest theft spree in Home Depot’s history, prompting Ventura County officials to announce charges against nine of its members.
On August 14, investigators arrested 14 individuals and seized more than $3.7 million in stolen goods and $800,000 in illicit funds. The criminals had been operating since January, targeting 71 Home Depot stores in Ventura, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties. They would then resell the stolen merchandise at a discounted rate, causing Home Depot to estimate losses of at least $10 million over the years.
The group consisted of five individuals who worked as “booster crews,” specializing in stealing electronics such as dimmer switches, circuit breakers, and outlets from Home Depot stores. They would often execute multiple thefts in a single day. The other four individuals were known as “fences,” responsible for receiving, storing, and reselling the stolen goods.
The ringleader of the operation was identified as David Ahl, 59, from Los Angeles. He would order the booster crews to steal the goods and then resell them through his business, Arya Wholesale. Ahl faces 45 charges including grand theft and money laundering. His brother-in-law, Omid Abrishamkar, was involved in reselling the stolen goods on eBay and faces 11 felony counts.
Other members of the crime ring, including Ahl’s ex-wife Lorena Solis and her partner Enrique Neira Moreno, were also implicated in the operation. Shocking surveillance footage revealed one of the booster crew members, Eber Bonilla Lopez, frantically grabbing electrical breakers worth $100 each from Home Depot shelves.
Several other individuals, including Jose Banuelos Guerrero, Edwin Rivera, Erlin Hernandez Lopez, and Denny Hernandez Gomez, were part of the booster crews responsible for daily thefts worth thousands of dollars. The nine charged members of the crime ring face maximum sentences ranging from four to 32 years in state prison, with more arrests expected as the investigation continues.
This case serves as a stark reminder of the consequences of organized retail theft and the collaborative efforts needed to combat such criminal activities.
