On Saturday afternoon, Spectrum police officers were alerted by Sephora Loss Prevention that a duo was concealing (pun intended) cosmetics and had left the store, according to the Irvine Police Department.
The officers detained the suspects before they could “blend in” with traffic and reach their car.
The officers established a strong foundation for the case and recovered approximately $1,700 worth of items after searching the suspects and their vehicle.
The officers also uncovered additional stolen Sephora merchandise from a previous theft. The evidence was impossible to “brush aside.”
Kely Yuly Villavicencio, 45, and Ibrahim Gonzalez Silva, 23, of Santa Clarita, were arrested for organized retail theft and conspiracy.
Combined, they had about $450,000 in outstanding warrants from Los Angeles County and Ventura County agencies for burglary, conspiracy, and grand theft.
In Irvine, crime does not stay “covered up.”
Penalties faced by the suspects
In 2026, the suspects Kely Yuly Villavicencio and Ibrahim Gonzalez Silva face severe legal consequences in California due to new anti-theft legislation and a significant history of outstanding warrants.
Current Charges in Irvine
Based on the Irvine Police Department’s arrest for organized retail theft and conspiracy involving $1,700 in merchandise, the suspects face:
- Organized Retail Theft (PC 490.4): This is a “wobbler” offense in California. Because the value exceeds $950, it can be charged as a felony, punishable by 16 months to 3 years in jail. Recent 2025 laws allow prosecutors to aggregate values from multiple thefts to meet felony thresholds more easily.
- Conspiracy (PC 182): Suspects face the same penalties as the underlying crime they conspired to commit. For a felony retail theft conspiracy, they face up to 3 years in custody and fines up to $10,000.
- Restraining Orders: Under 2025 legislation, courts can issue retail crime restraining orders, banning the suspects from the merchant’s locations for up to two years.
Outstanding Warrants and Enhanced Penalties
The duo’s existing $450,000 in warrants from Los Angeles and Ventura counties significantly increases their legal exposure:
- Burglary (PC 459): Commercial burglary is a “wobbler,” but residential (first-degree) burglary is a serious felony punishable by 2, 4, or 6 years in state prison and counts as a “strike” under California’s Three Strikes Law.
- Grand Theft (PC 487): Punishable by up to 3 years in prison. With multiple counts and high-value warrants, they may face sentencing enhancements of 1–4 additional years if the total stolen value across all cases exceeds $50,000.
- Proposition 36 Impact: As of 2026, this voter-approved measure (passed in late 2024) allows for stiffer felony sentences for repeat theft offenders who have two or more prior theft convictions.
Potential Custody Time
If convicted on all new and outstanding charges, the suspects could face a combined sentence of several years to over a decade in state prison, depending on how many counts are run consecutively and their specific prior criminal records.
Ha ha, these Bums thought they we’re invisible…. They can now enjoy their stay at the Justice Motel.
Yet if these guys are in the country illegally, the State of California will do whatever they can to protect them from deportation so that they can eventually be released back into the community. It makes no sense.