More than a dozen people including several family members are facing charges in a massive multi-million retail theft ring that was fund out of the Florida family’s home, authorities said.
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The 14 arrests stem from an investigation begun in November 2025 by the Florida Attorney General’s Office Organized Retail Theft Task Force and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office dubbed “Operation D-Fence,” Attorney General James Uthmeier said in a news release Wednesday.
The task force had become aware of a criminal enterprise being run out of a home in Lutz, near Tampa, belonging to the Rengifo family, Uthmeier said.
Hillsborough Sheriff’s Office detectives began an undercover operation in which they purchased multiple items from the home, where they saw items including power tools, electrical supplies, plumbing equipment, air conditioning components, paint, and other retail and construction materials, displayed in a “retail distribution manner,” Uthmeier said.
Investigators found that the criminal ring targeted Home Depot stores and construction sites where they stole the merchandise and equipment, which were brought to the home to be received, stored and resold by the Rengifo family at prices well below fair market value, authorities said.
The suspects used multiple bank accounts to process the proceeds, and records showed they managed over $7.6 million in gross transactional activity between January 2025 and February 2026, Uthmeier said.
Authorities said the suspect spent the money on luxury vehicles, jewelry and extensive international travel.
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“Our Organized Retail Task Force brings law enforcement agencies together to get the maximum punishment for these criminal enterprises, Uthmeier said in a statement. “Enterprises like this take millions of dollars in products off the shelves, and consumers foot the bill as retailers try to recover the costs. Thanks to interagency collaboration, we dismantled this crime ring from the top down, and we will hold them accountable.”
Among those arrested are the alleged ringleader, 55-year-old Hoover Rengifo, and 50-year-old Marribell Rengifo, who are charged with racketeering, conspiracy to commit racketeering, money laundering, trafficking in stolen property, communications fraud and unlawful use of a two-way communications device.
Sebastian Rengifo, 21, and Alejandro Rengifo, 23, also face the same charges.
The sheriff’s office said they seized about $5 million in stolen goods, around $220,000 in cash and seven vehicles.
More than 1,800 online sales transactions were linked to the criminal enterprise, which spanned multiple states with thefts occurring throughout Florida, Indiana, Kentucky, and Tennessee, the sheriff’s office said.
“This operation exposed a highly organized criminal enterprise that stretched far beyond county and state lines,” Hillsborough Sheriff Chad Chronister said in a statement. “Through strong partnerships and relentless investigative work, we were able to dismantle a network responsible for millions of dollars in stolen merchandise and illegal profits. Organized retail theft impacts businesses, consumers, and entire communities, and we remain committed to holding those responsible fully accountable.”
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