The robbers admitted to stealing from stores in Los Angeles, Riverside and Orange counties from May 2023 to August 2023. The group stole more than $1.7 million worth of merchandise in that span.
"It was disturbing, shocking and unacceptable," Bonta said in a press conference. "It's hard to watch, much less imagine what it would have been like if you, your children, your loved ones, family members, were innocently shopping during those moments."
The viral flash-mob robberies included a Nordstrom store in Canoga Park and the Yves Saint Laurent (YSL) store in Glendale. Louis Vuitton in Newport Beach, Burberry Outlet in Riverside, Gucci and Magnolia Park were also robbed.
"These crimes will not be tolerated in the Glendale community," Glendale Police Chief Manuel Cid said in a statement on the attorney general's website.
The longest sentence is 10 years and four months in the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation for Jordan Harris, who pled guilty for two counts of grand theft at the Glendale YSL and the Topanga Canyon mall Nordstrom, according to the attorney general. The shortest sentence was for Briana Jimenez, who pled guilty to robbery and grand theft at the Glendale YSL. She was sentenced to one year in custody and felony probation.
The other people sentenced include Kip Henry, Devon Perry, Ziona Famoso, Alana Hart, Travelle Hamblet, Jason Smith. A ninth person connected to the robberies, Ivan Ramirez, also pled guilty to the crimes and will be sentenced in 2025.
Bonta has tried to crack down on these smash-and-grab robberies, asking the public for help.
"I am committed to bringing the full force of the California Department of Justice to fight organized retail crime both in the field and in the courtroom," Bonta said in the statement.