The first man convicted of a felony in the new 23rd Judicial District was part of a Venezuelan theft ring that targeted jewelry and sunglass stores across the metro area.

A 23rd Judicial District Jury found Bruno Gutierrez-Zorilla, 28, guilty of aggravated robbery, conspiracy to commit aggravated robbery, theft and violating the Colorado Organized Crime Act on Wednesday following the district’s first felony trial, according to a news release from the 23rd Judicial District Attorney’s Office.

But Gutierrez-Zorilla is not the only person thought to have been involved in the string of crimes.

There have been seven main members identified in the ORC (Organized Retail Crime) Group including Gutierrez-Zorilla, according to arrest affidavits filed by the Castle Rock Police Department. All seven of those members were identified by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as Venezuelan immigrants who entered the country illegally.

All told, the ORC Group has been connected to 19 theft incidents across the metro between Dec. 4, 2023 and Jan. 25, 2024 with two of them being robberies. The theft total of the 19 incidents is $330,333.90, according to arrest records.

The group has also been linked to other jewelry store robberies in Boulder, Denver and Aurora.

As of the affidavit’s filing on March 5, 2024, the most recent incident was Feb. 26, 2024 in Aurora.

During the Feb. 26 incident, two of the alleged members robbed an Aurora jewelry store with a handgun. During the incident, one of the suspects fired a gun in the store, but didn’t hit anyone. The two then fled the scene.

On Jan. 13, 2024, two suspects allegedly committed a smash-and-grab theft at the Zales Jewelry in the Cherry Creek Mall.

One suspect asked the worker to see the most expensive necklace in the store while the other suspect left the store. The worker took out a $15,000 gold necklace and the suspect grabbed the necklace from her hand, injury her left ring finger. The suspect then took off out of the mall, according to arrest records.

After noticing the pattern of thefts throughout the area, a detective with the Douglas County F.I.R.S.T. (Financial Investigative Regional Strike Team) Task Force began searching the various surveillance videos, eventually putting together a string of seven suspects and multiple vehicles connected to each incident. 

ICE eventually confirmed that six of the seven suspects had FBI Numbers and had been contacted by Border Patrol.

Gutierrez-Zorilla had a criminal history in Florida, Iowa and Nebraska, according to arrest records.

As of March 2024, five of the suspects had been arrested.

Gutierrez-Zorilla is scheduled to be sentenced on April 25 and faces a maximum of 24 years in jail.

“Today marks a significant milestone for justice in Douglas County,” Commissioner Abe Laydon said in the release on behalf of the Douglas County Board of County Commissioners about the 23rd Judicial District’s first felony trial after opening in January. “This first felony verdict under our newly established judicial district sends a clear message: law and order will be upheld in our community. We created this district to ensure swift, fair, and decisive action against crime, and this case proves that commitment to action.”