RLP NEWS
A Miami woman, Angela Rodriguez, 25, has been arrested for allegedly stealing over $75,000 worth of beauty products from Ulta Beauty and other retailers over an eight-month period. Rodriguez is accused of committing 56 thefts across 16 Florida counties, with a significant focus on Palm Beach Gardens.
The Palm Beach Gardens Police Department (PBGPD), leading the investigation with the support of Ulta Beauty’s Organized Retail Crime department, identified Rodriguez as the central figure in a string of retail heists. Along with accomplices, including a man named Howard Morraz, she allegedly targeted Ulta Beauty, CVS, Publix, and Walgreens stores.
According to a probable cause affidavit, the theft spree began on December 26, 2023, and continued until August 17, 2024. Forty-three of the incidents occurred in Palm Beach County alone.
PBGPD utilized Ulta Beauty’s crime intelligence platform, Auror, to compile evidence against the group. Surveillance footage and images showed Rodriguez and her accomplices shoplifting items such as cosmetics, skincare products, and fragrances. Rodriguez was seen placing multiple items—once as many as 73—into her handbag and exiting the store without paying.
In one instance, at an Ulta Beauty in Osceola County, an employee offered Rodriguez assistance, prompting her to threaten, “Stop looking at me, or I’m going to punch you in the face.” After each theft, another suspect was reportedly waiting in a getaway vehicle, often a rental car funded by Rodriguez through Cash App.
Investigators were able to connect Rodriguez’s cellphone location data to the times and places of the thefts. They also discovered she had been selling the stolen items on Facebook Marketplace. Her internet search history revealed plans to target wholesaler businesses in Miami-Dade County.
The investigation led to the arrest of one of Rodriguez’s accomplices, Howard Morraz, at an Ulta store in St. Augustine on June 29. Morraz was sentenced to 150 days in jail for grand theft. During his time in jail, he reportedly made phone calls asking his brother to sell stolen beauty products to help post his bond.
Rodriguez herself was apprehended on September 13 when she was pulled over by a Florida Highway Patrol Trooper for having tinted windows. The traffic stop uncovered a warrant for her arrest from Lake County for grand theft charges. During the search of her car, authorities found a purse filled with merchandise, including products with price tags and antitheft devices still attached, as well as Ulta tote bags.
Rodriguez was booked into jail on October 21, just a day before her 25th birthday. She now faces six counts of organized retail theft.