SALT LAKE CITY — Three individuals have been arrested following an investigation that allegedly linked them to over $8,000 in thefts from more than a dozen Target and Kohl’s stores across the Wasatch Front.
Michael Gianfranco Canari Ramos, 22, Fernando Jose Granados Veliz, 24, and Jennifer Quespa, 22, were all arrested on Monday on five charges each. The suspects are foreign nationals with out-of-state addresses; Quespa from New York, Ramos from Connecticut, and Veliz from New Jersey.
The investigation began on Saturday when an Orem police officer received a report about multiple suspects purchasing items with counterfeit bills or returning items bought with counterfeit currency to obtain clean money. Using surveillance footage and counterfeit bill comparisons, officers identified four suspects, three of whom were subsequently taken into custody during a traffic stop. The fourth suspect remains unnamed.
The suspects targeted locations ranging from Spanish Fork in Utah County to Clinton in Davis County. Target and Kohl’s reported an estimated loss of $8,400 due to the thefts.
During the traffic stop, officers discovered $1,400 worth of merchandise from Target, over $500 in Kohl’s products, 88 counterfeit $100 bills, and over $4,000 in U.S. currency in their vehicle.
All three suspects were booked into jail with a no-bail detention requested, as they are considered flight risks due to a lack of ties to Utah. They face the following charges:
- Criminal conspiracy (Class C misdemeanor)
- Forgery (Third-degree felony)
- Pattern of unlawful activity (Second-degree felony)
- Retail theft exceeding $5,000 (Second-degree felony)
- Theft exceeding $5,000 (Second-degree felony)