Cuban nationals charged with stealing over $1,300 in merchandise from Ulta Beauty in Gainesville; incident connected with five other thefts

Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Angel Luis Nicot-Cardoza, 31, and Yorlan Nordelo-Martinez, 44, Cuban nationals who were living in Tampa, have been charged with grand theft in a September 2025 incident at Ulta Beauty in Gainesville; they have also been connected to five Ulta Beauty thefts in Florida and Georgia, totaling over $5,000.

At about 11:04 a.m. on September 6, 2025, two men entered Ulta Beauty in the Oaks Square shopping plaza (6843 W. Newberry Road), where Nordelo-Martinez allegedly concealed a Jimmy Choo tester in his shorts; both men then went to a different part of the store and allegedly concealed seven other fragrance testers in their pockets. As they were walking out, Nicot-Cardoza allegedly picked up a Gucci tester and concealed it in his shorts. The two men allegedly left the business without paying for the items, which were valued at $1,391.

A Gainesville Police Department officer researched the incident and found that the same two men had been involved in five other Ulta Beauty thefts in Florida and Georgia, with a total loss of $5,054.

The officer used surveillance photos to develop the two men as suspects in the thefts, and both identities were verified with their recently-issued Florida driver’s licenses. The officer noted that both men are Cuban citizens who are in the United States on a work visa and were living in the same apartment complex in Tampa.

Sworn complaints were filed for both defendants, charging them with grand theft, and warrants were issued in September 2025.

Nicot-Cardoza was arrested in Hillsborough County in October 2025 and was transferred to the Alachua County Jail on January 16. He has one felony conviction and one misdemeanor conviction (both non-violent) in Florida, along with a pending grand theft case in Lake County and an active warrant out of Georgia. Judge Susan Miller-Jones set bail at $100,000, and he is still in the Alachua County Jail.

Nordelo-Martinez was arrested in Tampa in October 2025 and booked into the Alachua County Jail on October 22, 2025. He has no criminal history in Florida, but he had active warrants at the time from Lake County, two other counties in Florida, and Georgia. He entered a plea of nolo contendere to grand theft on January 8, and Judge James Colaw sentenced him to 79 days in jail with credit for 79 days served, followed by two years of probation.

Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.