Contact: Beth Stone 508-584-8120
BROCKTON – Two people have pleaded not guilty to charges that they operated an organized theft ring, stealing thousands of dollars worth of merchandise from a large, local retail beauty store, Plymouth District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz has announced.
Amalia Cinca, 35, of Maryland, pleaded not guilty late yesterday at her arraignment in Wareham District Court to one count each of Larceny Over $1,200 and Organized Retail Crime. The Commonwealth requested that Cinca be held on $1 million bail, with conditions that if bail is posted, Cinca must surrender her passport, wear a GPS Monitoring bracelet and stay away and have no contact with all Ulta Beauty stores. Judge Scott Peterson ordered Cinca held on $75,000 cash bail, with all of the conditions, but GPS monitoring. If Cinca makes bail, the Commonwealth will revisit the condition of GPS monitoring.
Today, in Brockton District Juvenile Court, a 17 year-old female pleaded not guilty to one count each of Larceny Over $1,200 and Organized Retail Crime. The Commonwealth requested the defendant be held on $1 million bail, with conditions that if bail is posted, the defendant must surrender her passport, wear a GPS Monitoring bracelet and stay away and have no contact with all Ulta Beauty stores. The judge ordered the defendant held on $100,000 bail with the conditions.
The pair were arrested January 23rd by authorities at JFK International Airport in New York, as they attempted to board an airplane to Romania, after an active and ongoing investigation by Wareham Police and loss prevention investigators with Ulta Beauty. On January 7, 2024, Wareham Police responded to the Ulta beauty store in Wareham for a report of a past shoplifting incident. The store employee reported that they observed four females stuff approximately five bags worth of merchandise and exit the store without payment. It was determined that in total, the four women stole $5,818 in products.
On January 8, 2024, Waterford, Connecticut Police contacted Wareham Police to report a theft at the Ulta store there allegedly involving female suspects. The maroon minivan they had been traveling in was impounded. Inside the van were black garbage bags containing numerous items, some with the price tags still attached, including cosmetics and perfumes. Ulta inventory scanners identified the merchandise to be from the Wareham store.
As a result of the investigation, which included use of surveillance video inside the store, Wareham Police sought and obtained criminal complaints. The Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office entered the complaints into National Crime Information Center, and arrest warrants issued for the four women.
Cinca and the juvenile were arrested on the warrants at JFK International Airport in New York. Cinca was arraigned in Queens, NY Criminal Court where she pleaded not guilty to a charge of Fugitive from Justice. The pair waived their rendition and Wareham Police returned them from New York to Massachusetts yesterday.
The two additional female suspects allegedly involved in the Ulta theft remain at large, with warrants pending for their arrest.
On January 18, DA Cruz announced the formation of the Plymouth County Organized Retail Theft Task Force, and hosted more than 50 members of law enforcement and retailers at the Brockton office. The intent is to work together with retailers, Chambers of Commerce, law enforcement, and others to address the issue of store theft.