Hillsborough County law enforcement says a family-run “fencing” operation tied to Save on Construction LLC in Lutz and Tampa has been torn down after a months-long probe. Sheriff Chad Chronister and Attorney General James Uthmeier detailed arrests, seizures and an undercover operation that traced thefts across Florida and into Indiana, Kentucky and Tennessee.
The investigation began after a tip landed with the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office in November 2025, and what investigators found quickly outgrew a single garage. Detectives from HCSO’s Property Division Organized Retail Theft Unit followed a trail that pointed to a Lutz address being used as a distribution and resale hub for stolen goods.
Sheriff Chad Chronister said the ring wasn’t a few opportunists but a deliberate enterprise. “This was not a group of opportunistic thieves. This was a highly organized criminal enterprise operating across state lines, targeting businesses, and profiting off stolen goods at a massive scale,” he said, underscoring the scale and planning behind the thefts.
An undercover detective embedded with the operation in April and worked with a national retailer to document the scheme. The operative sold items and built trust, which led the thieves to place targeted orders—specific lists of things they wanted taken from store shelves—making the thefts efficient and repeatable.
Investigators tracked thefts from 33 different hardware stores during the probe, and they say the family at the center orchestrated the whole process from planning to resale. At the heart of the ring was 55-year-old Hoover Rengifo, who ran Save on Construction LLC alongside family members and other co-conspirators.
One Lutz home was reportedly converted into a makeshift hardware store, organized so buyers could easily find what they had come for. “You can see how organized it was—almost set up of the convenience, like a hardware store. Like a Home Depot or a Lowe’s where a lot of these thefts were occurring,” Sheriff Chronister said, describing paint and electrical sections effectively laid out for customers of stolen goods.
When HCSO moved in on May 4, the operation was disrupted with four search warrants and fourteen arrest warrants served. Four of those arrested were identified as being in the country illegally, and the total number of people taken into custody was 14.
The raid produced a substantial haul that investigators say matches the enterprise’s scope. Detectives seized roughly $5 million in stolen merchandise, about $220,000 in U.S. currency, and seven vehicles tied to the ring, and they placed a RICO forfeiture lien on the main Lutz residence.
Authorities estimate the criminal network is tied to more than $12 million in stolen merchandise and about $7 million in money laundering activity. The 14 individuals now face charges that include racketeering, trafficking in stolen property, money laundering and grand theft as prosecutors prepare to pursue the case.
The scheme’s reach went beyond Hillsborough County, with investigators saying the ring moved stolen goods across state lines. Indiana, Kentucky and Tennessee were named as states where thefts occurred, reinforcing the multi-jurisdictional nature of the crimes and the need for coordinated enforcement.
Local retailers felt the pinch as inventory vanished and replacement costs rose, a burden HCSO says ultimately lands on consumers and law-abiding businesses. “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 inter-agency collaboration, we dismantled this crime ring from the top down, and we will hold them accountable,” officials stated at the press briefing.
Attorney General James Uthmeier emphasized inter-agency coordination in the response to organized retail theft. “Our Organized Retail Task Force brings law enforcement agencies together to get the maximum punishment for these criminal enterprises,” he said, pointing to joint work that helped build the case from local undercover work to regional enforcement.
Investigators say the family structured the operation tightly, using demand lists to dispatch thieves to specific stores and then funnel goods back to Lutz for sorting and resale. That method turned amateur shoplifting into an industrial-scale theft operation that could respond to requests and move high-value items quickly.
The investigation remains active as authorities follow leads, process evidence and prepare prosecutions in Hillsborough County. Officials promise updates as cases develop and reinforced that dismantling the ring was the product of coordinated tips, undercover work and multi-agency cooperation.
