100+ Imperial Beachians Victims of Identity Theft Ring

[Erica Absetz <eabsetz () opensecurityfoundation org>]

http://imperialbeach.patch.com/articles/imperial-beach-residents-caught-in-identity-theft-ring

Among more than 1,500 people whose personal information was stolen in
a massive identity-theft ring based in the South Bay, 158 were from
Imperial Beach, said Tanya Sierra with the San Diego County District
Attorney's Office.

"Not each of these folks had their identity used to commit fraud, but
their information was stolen and in possession of the perpetrators,"
Sierra said Tuesday via email.

Jose Alfredo Castillo, 38, and Maria Isabel Valdivia, 32, were
convicted of various felonies, including conspiracy, ID theft,
receiving stolen property and burglary and sentenced for the crimes
Dec. 11.

Judge Laura Halgren sentenced Castillo to nearly four years behind
bars and Valdivia to five years in state prison, part of which will be
served on mandatory supervision.

Authorities said the defendants ran the ID theft and mail theft ring
out of their home. Most of the personal information is believed to
have come from stolen real estate files.

“These individuals were sophisticated enough to know the local agency
thresholds on the amount of money that would require an open
investigation,” said Chula Vista police Chief David Bejarano. “Using
this knowledge, they stayed under this dollar amount to avoid law
enforcement detection.”

Investigators found numerous items involved in the ID theft ring at
the defendants’ home, including computers, printers, dozens of stolen
credit cards and lists describing how to make counterfeit IDs.

Investigators working with the Computer and Technology Crime High-Tech
Response Team(C.A.T.C.H.) identified the defendants who were arrested
in July. The FBI and State Attorney General's Office were also part of
the investigation.

C.A.T.C.H. is a collaborative task force brought together to apprehend
and prosecute criminals who use technology to prey on the citizens of
San Diego, Imperial Valley and Riverside counties.

Visit the District Attorney's website for information on how to avoid
identity theft.

City News Service contributed to this report.
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