A routine grocery run in Daly City turned into a costly ordeal for a 74-year-old shopper, and now one of the men prosecutors say was involved has been handed a brief stint in county jail while three alleged accomplices remain on the run.
Ronald Bernal-Pacheco, 43, of Anaheim pleaded no contest in connection with the theft and related elder abuse charges and received a short jail sentence, supervised probation, restitution and a stay-away order tied to a Daly City Best Buy, according to prosecutors.
Where It Happened
The theft was reported on June 1, 2025, inside the Sprouts Farmers Market in the busy Serramonte and Gellert shopping corridor. Sprouts lists its Daly City store at 301 Gellert Boulevard, right in the middle of a dense cluster of big-box retailers and chain stores that draw steady foot traffic.
How Prosecutors Say It Unfolded
According to KRON4 and the District Attorney's office, Bernal-Pacheco did not act alone. Prosecutors say he and three suspected accomplices targeted the 74-year-old shopper inside Sprouts, distracting her long enough for Bernal-Pacheco to slip her wallet away.
From there, investigators say the group moved quickly. They allegedly withdrew $1,000 in cash from an ATM using the victim's card, then used her credit cards for two large purchases at separate Best Buy stores, racking up $4,818.36 in charges before the fraud was detected.
Where The Cards Were Used
Investigators traced some of the activity to Best Buy locations that line the same commercial strip. Corporate records help connect the dots: Best Buy filings list a store at 350 Gellert Boulevard in Daly City among its Bay Area sites, a stone's throw from the Sprouts where the wallet was taken.
Those filings provide added context for how close together the alleged crime scene and subsequent shopping spree were in this tightly packed retail corridor.
Sentence And What Comes Next
Bernal-Pacheco ultimately pleaded no contest and was sentenced to five months in county jail, with 128 days credited for time already served, according to the District Attorney's office. He will also serve two years of supervised probation.
On top of the jail time and probation, the court ordered him to pay $200 in restitution to the 74-year-old victim and barred him from entering the Daly City Best Buy. Some suspects were previously arrested in Vacaville, but three alleged accomplices failed to appear in court and now have outstanding warrants, KRON4 reported.
