DMV Worker, 5 Others Charged in Identity Theft Scheme
SANTA ANA — A clerk at the California Department of Motor Vehicles office in El Monte and five others have been indicted on federal identity theft charges for allegedly using legitimate birth certificates and Social Security numbers obtained from Puerto Rico to create new identities that were sold to people willing to pay thousands of dollars for fraudulent identity documents.
DMV clerk Tracey Lynette Jones, 33, of Long Beach, surrendered to federal authorities on Oct. 19. She was arraigned that afternoon. Jones entered a not guilty plea, was released on a $25,000 bond and was ordered to stand trial on Nov.24.
Jones and the other five defendants were named in a four-count indictment returned on Sept. 30 by a federal grand jury. The indictment charges all six defendants with conspiring to produce identification documents. Several of the defendants, including Jones, are charged with various identity theft offenses.
Four of the remaining defendants were arrested in Septemeber by special agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and investigators with the DMV’s Investigations division. They are:
- Wilfredo Montero, 36, of Los Angeles;
- Adolfo Maria Cruz, 47, of Corona;
- Roberto Ruiz, 35, of Tustin; and
- Jose Cruz, 49, of Corona.
Out of the four defendants arrested in September, three have been freed on bond and Cruz remains in custody.
The sixth defendant charged in the case, Jorge “Diablo” Perez, aka Pedro Josue Figueroa-Marquez, 33, originally from Mexico, remains at large and is being sought by authorities.
According to the indictment, the conspiracy was allegedly spearheaded by Montero and catered to individuals willing to pay as much as $5,000 for new identities obtained with genuine birth certificates and Social Security numbers obtained from Puerto Rico residents. Investigators are working to identify the source of the documents obtained from Puerto Rico.
The case, which is the result of a three-year undercover investigation, revealed many of the ring’s customers were previously deported felons. Federal prosecutors have filed charges against three people believed to be customers of the identity theft ring, and authorities are seeking to take those individuals into custody.
“Based on our evidence, this ring’s clients had good reason to want to obscure their pasts,” said Claude Arnold, special agent in charge for HSI Los Angeles. “And, for a price, the defendants were allegedly willing to oblige.”
An affidavit in support of criminal complaints that were previously filed in the case describes a July 2012 meeting between Montero and an HSI undercover special agent posing as prospective client. After the undercover investigator indicated he wanted to purchase identity documents, Montero led him to his garage where he pulled out a Puerto Rican birth certificate and matching Social Security card which were concealed inside a boxing glove.
After obtaining identity documents for buyers, the defendants, for an additional fee, allegedly helped their clients use the documents to apply for California driver’s licenses or California identification cards under the assumed identities. The indictment alleges defendant Jones altered records in the DMV’s electronic databases to make it appear the applicants had passed required exams to obtain a driver’s license when, in fact, they had not.
An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty in court.
If convicted in the identity theft conspiracy, the six defendants named in the indictment would face a statutory maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison.
Eight Charged in Credit Card Scheme
LOS ANGELES — On Oct. 21, authorities arrested four defendants charged with federal fraud and identity theft charges for allegedly participating in a scheme that installed credit card “skimmers” inside gas pumps at gas stations across Southern California and Southern Nevada.
A criminal complaint charges eight defendants – three of whom are fugitives at this time – with participating in a conspiracy that secretly installed electronic devices known as skimmers inside of gas pumps that were equipped with point of sale terminals. When gas station customers swiped their credit or debit cards through the device that reads the magnetic strips on the back of their cards, the information was stored on the skimmers that were hidden inside the gas pumps. According to the affidavit in support of the complaint, members of the conspiracy were able to later retrieve the account information without going back inside the gas pumps by using Bluetooth-equipped devices, such as cellular phones or tablets.
According to an affidavit by a special agent with the U.S. Secret Service, participants in the conspiracy manufactured skimmers with parts purchased at electronics stores. At the gas stations, they allegedly used large vans to conceal their activities as they forced open panels on the gas pumps and installed the skimming devices that were not visible to customers who used their credit cards at the pumps.
The affidavit outlines how the organization installed dozens of skimmers at gas stations operated by different companies in areas that include San Gabriel, Burbank, North Hollywood, Van Nuys, Eagle Rock, Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, Torrance, Long Beach, Anaheim, Santa Ana, Tustin, Fountain Valley, the Coachella Valley and Las Vegas, Nevada.
In conjunction with the arrests, investigators executed a series of search warrants. At one location, they found materials indicating that members of the conspiracy were actively involved in the manufacture of counterfeit credit cards.
The eight defendants named in the criminal complaint are:
- Nazar Daniyelyan, 47, of Sun Valley, who was arrested;
- Ruben Karapetyan, 39, of Porter Ranch, who was arrested;
- Armen Khalulyan, 30, of Los Angeles, who is a fugitive;
- Arutyan Oganyan, 41, of North Hollywood, who is a fugitive;
- Grigor Pambukyan, 26, of Van Nuys, who was arrested;
- Arsen Terzyan, 32, of Van Nuys, who was arrested;
- Anthony Tngryan, 26, of Van Nuys, who is a fugitive; and
- Oganes Tagaryan, 23, of North Hollywood, who is expected to surrender to authorities in the near future.
The four taken into custody Oct. 21 are expected to make their initial court appearances this afternoon in U.S. District Court in downtown Los Angeles.
A criminal complaint contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in court.
The eight defendants are charged with conspiracy to possess 15 or more unauthorized access devices. If they are convicted of this charge, each would face a statutory maximum sentence of five years in federal prison.
If any member of the public has information concerning the three fugitives in this case, they are urged to contact the Secret Service at (213) 533-4400.
The investigation into the credit card skimming ring is ongoing. At this point, authorities have no estimate for the loss that may be associated with the stolen credit card information.
LB Council Authorizes Winter Shelters
The Long Beach City Council voted 9-0 to authorize a winter shelter for homeless persons between Nov. 2, 2015 and March 15, 2016.
The shelter will open a month earlier than usual this year, in part due to considerations about the winter being forecast to be wetter than usual.The winter shelter will be operated by the Long Beach Rescue Mission, a provider for the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, which pays for the annual program. The shelter in Long Beach will be at 6845 Atlantic Ave.