PHOENIX — A suspected thief was arrested this week on suspicion of stealing over $45,000 in fragrances from Ulta Beauty stores located throughout the Valley.
Jose Acosta, 37, was taken into custody Wednesday in Mesa for a series of retail thefts that have occurred over the last year.
Court records show the first theft was reported last June at an Ulta store in Gilbert. The suspect allegedly filled a pillowcase with $2,960 in fragrances from the store before fleeing.
At least 10 more thefts at other Ulta stores were reported in the following months, all of which involved a suspect stealing thousands of dollars in fragrances. The biggest perfume bounty allegedly tied to the suspect was $8,400 stolen from an Ulta store in Phoenix.
Each theft only took about a minute to complete on most occasions, investigators wrote in a report.
The total value of Acosta's perfume-related thefts was more than $45,000, but Ulta believes the suspect is allegedly responsible for stealing more than double that amount in merchandise from its stores.
Acosta was booked into the Maricopa County jail and is facing several counts of organized retail theft.
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