A car rental facility in Los Angeles was used as a base for a crime tourism group that stole millions through heists and home burglaries, according to federal authorities.
Authorities allege that a crime tourism ring was responsible for stealing approximately $5.5 million over the course of a conspiracy.
Federal authorities announced the arrest of seven individuals in California for their involvement in a crime tourism ring that provided vehicles for thieves to use in their illegal activities.
Juan Carlos Thola-Duran, 57, and his girlfriend, Ana Maria Arriagada, 41, ran Driver Power Rentals (DPR) in Van Nuys, Los Angeles, which rented vehicles to criminals from South America and other regions to commit crimes across the U.S.
Multiple federal criminal charges, including wire fraud, money laundering, conspiracy, and structuring transactions to evade financial reporting requirements, are being faced by seven individuals.
According to an indictment obtained by Planet Chronicle Digital, Thola-Duran is accused of directing associates to commit thefts, including stealing goods from stores, burglarizing residences and commercial businesses, and stealing victims' credit cards and debit cards from at least January 2018 to July 2024.
It was claimed by authorities that Thola-Duran and Arriagada instructed accomplices to use the stolen credit and debit cards to buy electronics, gift cards, designer purses, and other luxury goods from stores such as Target, Best Buy, and The Home Depot, before the cards could be frozen or canceled.
The allegations in the indictment claim that Thola-Duran facilitated the delivery of stolen goods to other accomplices and back to DPR.
Officials claimed that Thola-Duran served as a "middleman" between other conspirators and purchased the stolen goods at a discounted price to compensate the thieves with a portion of the item's retail value.
It was reported that Thola-Duran obtained a staggering $5.5 million through a conspiracy, with about $5.1 million of it being sent to different bank accounts.
According to the indictment, Thola-Duran and Arriagada are accused of using stolen funds to buy real estate and horses.
The indictment accuses Thola-Duran and others of conspiring to fraudulently obtain $274,998 in COVID-19 business relief loans from May 2020 to June 2021.
Several years elapsed during the investigation, which involved multiple agencies such as LAPD, the US Attorney's Office, and the FBI.
Over 130 suspects have been arrested for committing crimes since 2019, with the majority of them using cars provided by Driver Power Rentals, according to Ventura County Sheriff James Fryhoff in a press release.
"U.S. Attorney Estrada and his team aggressively prosecuted a network that used cars rented from Driver Power Rentals to steal high-end merchandise and jewelry from Ventura County homeowners, according to Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko. "Taking down a key operator who fueled crime tourism is essential to neighborhood safety, and I am grateful to U.S. Attorney Estrada and his team for their efforts," Nasarenko said."
The defendants could receive a maximum of 20 years in federal prison for each wire fraud and money laundering count, 10 years for each structuring count, and 5 years for the interstate conspiracy to transport stolen property if convicted.
The U.S. Attorney's Office, Central District of California, has been contacted by Planet Chronicle Digital for comment.
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