Criminal charges have been filed against the owner of a business in the MacArthur Park area, where more than $350,000 in alleged stolen merchandise was seized earlier this month, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office announced Thursday.
Blanca Escobar, 65, is scheduled to be arraigned May 22 on eight felony counts of receiving stolen property over $950 in value, along with a misdemeanor count of conducting gaming, according to the District Attorney's Office.
Los Angeles Police Department Chief Jim McDonnell said earlier this month that detectives executed a search warrant at 2065 W. Sixth St., adjacent to the park, where a storefront was "receiving and selling stolen merchandise tied to organized retail theft."
"During the operation, store owner Blanca Escobar was arrested without incident for receiving stolen property inside the small storefront," McDonnell said. "Officers recovered a U-haul truck full of stolen goods, including makeup, toiletries and other retail merchandise."
Authorities said the stolen merchandise consisted primarily of cosmetics, clothes and toiletries from retailers including CVS, Target, Walgreens, Kroger, Ross, T.J. Maxx and Macy's.
Police also discovered illegal slot machines, according to the District Attorney's Office.
Escobar was arrested by Los Angeles police March 5 -- the day of the search -- and released on her own recognizance the next day, according to jail records.
She could face up to eight years and six months in state prison if convicted as charged, according to the District Attorney's Office.
In a statement announcing the charges, District Attorney Nathan Hochman called the case "an important step toward cleaning up MacArthur Park, a community that has long struggled with crime and safety concerns."