By Tracie Sullivan, For Iron County Today
What began as a string of brazen walkout thefts at a Cedar City Home Depot has ended in guilty pleas for six defendants, all of whom now face deportation under court-approved agreements.
Among them is Edgardo Duque,43, identified by investigators as the primary figure behind the operation, who pleaded guilty to multiple felony charges and faces prison time before removal from the United States.
Court documents show Duque entered guilty pleas to theft by receiving stolen property, money laundering and possession of a dangerous weapon by a restricted person. As part of the plea agreement, he agreed to forfeit two firearms and more than $40,000 in cash seized during the investigation, serve jail time and comply with deportation proceedings.
Duque has been in the United States since at least 2019, when court records show multiple tax liens were filed against him and his wife, Yojana Ester Garcia-Rojop, 31. Garcia-Rojop pleaded guilty to attempted theft by receiving stolen property, a third-degree felony, for her role in the Home Depot theft operation and also faces deportation.
Their 18-year-old son, Andy Josue Garcia-Rojop, also pleaded guilty to attempted theft by receiving stolen property in connection with the same case and is expected to face deportation under the terms of his plea agreement.
The broader case stems from a series of thefts reported at the Cedar City Home Depot between February and early March 2026, where eight suspects repeatedly walked out of the store with carts full of merchandise without paying.
According to charging documents, the group used a consistent method of loading high-value items onto carts and exiting the store, sometimes using distraction tactics or displaying fake receipts to avoid detection.
Investigators linked the suspects through surveillance footage and a vehicle seen leaving multiple scenes. The investigation led officers to a residence on 6300 West, where an informant told police the theft operation was being directed by Duque and carried out by “employees” associated with him.
When officers served a search warrant at the property, they reported finding a large quantity of stolen merchandise valued at more than $47,000. The items were spread across multiple structures, much of it still in its original packaging and traceable to the Cedar City store.
Authorities also located a locked room on the property that multiple individuals identified as being controlled by Duque, where stolen items were stored. Investigators said Duque’s “employees” reported Duque would open the room so the merchandise could be placed inside after thefts.
During the search, officers also seized cash, firearms and suspected methamphetamine from a safe in the primary residence. Both Duque and his wife told police they were aware of what was inside the safe.
In addition to Duque, his wife and son, the case includes Sindy Cabrera, Franklin Fernando Garcia-Diaz and Rey Alexander Santos-Montes, all of whom have pleaded guilty and agreed to deportation after serving their sentences.
The remaining defendants, Nehemias Josue Zapet-Maldonado and Marco Antonio Rivera-Hernandez, are scheduled to enter pleas next week.