2 Men Sentenced In Connection With Tustin Bikini Heist

SANTA ANA (CBSLA.com) — Two men pleaded guilty Tuesday for their part in the theft of more than $200,000 worth of high-end bikinis and bathing suits from a Tustin warehouse.

Rogasiano Carpintero pleaded guilty to second-degree burglary and grand theft, both felonies, and was sentenced to two years in jail, while Co-defendant Johnathan Alexander Chamorro pleaded guilty to second-degree burglary and grand theft. Chamorro was also subject to a sentencing enhancement allegation of theft exceeding $150,000 and was sentenced to 16 months in jail.

The bikini heist happened on May 27, when thieves cut through a fence and broke into Raj Manufacturing, according to prosecutors.

Once inside, the defendants stole high-end bathing suits and put them in a white van, with Guillermina Ventura-Moran and Norma Yaneli Sanchez acting as lookouts, prosecutors said.

Police spotted the van at about 5:30 a.m. and tried to pull over the driver, who led police on a chase on to the San Diego (405) Freeway. The defendants allegedly jumped out while the van was still moving.

Costa Mesa and Tustin police rounded up the six defendants on foot. Ventura-Moran and Sanchez, who were in another vehicle, were eventually stopped on the Santa Ana (5) Freeway and arrested, prosecutors said.

Five more men, along with Ventura-Moran and Sanchez, are due in court in September in connection with the case. One defendant, Mario Lucatero, is a fugitive.

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