Two men accused of stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars in merchandise from the Moreno Valley warehouse where they were employed were charged Monday with grand theft and other offenses.
Francisco Chavez Cuica, 50, and Eduardo Chavez Diaz, 19, both of Riverside, were arrested Thursday following a Riverside County Sheriff’s Department investigation.
Along with theft, both men were charged with sentence-enhancing allegations of taking advantage of a position of trust to commit a felony, stealing a large quantity of goods and using planning and sophistication to perpetrate an offense.
The pair pleaded not guilty during a joint arraignment before Superior Court Judge Mark Johnson, who released them on their own recognizance under an agreement between the court and the men’s public defenders.
Johnson scheduled a felony settlement conference for Sept. 12 at the Riverside Hall of Justice.
According to sheriff’s Sgt. Joseph Fitzgerald and court documents, deputies were sent to Jillamy Logistics at 22340 Van Buren Blvd. Thursday morning to investigate “an ongoing embezzlement scheme” that had been uncovered by management.
“The business reported an estimated loss of $350,000 in stolen merchandise from the warehouse, involving two employees,” Fitzgerald said. “During the investigation, (sheriff’s) personnel discovered the merchandise was being sold through an online marketplace.”
Sufficient evidence was gathered to obtain and serve a search warrant at the defendants’ shared residence in the 9100 block of Rangpur Circle hours later.
“Approximately $78,818 in stolen merchandise belonging to the warehouse was seized from the residence,” Fitzgerald alleged.
The specific time span over which the thefts occurred was not disclosed.
The defendants were taken into custody without incident.
Neither man has documented prior felony convictions in Riverside County.