Leaders Of Crime Tourism Ring That Victimized Ventura County And Rest Of U-S Arrested

Wednesday August 28, 2024

     A massive local, state, and federal investigation into the epidemic of crimes such as break-in's at businesses and residences in Ventura County and elsewhere in the United States by criminal aliens has resulted in the arrests of the ring leaders.

     A Santa Clarita Valley man and five other people are in custody on a 46-count federal indictment by the United States Attorney's Office in Los Angeles.

     These individuals ran an organization that catered to what the authorities termed "crime tourism."

     It would involve individuals, primarily from South American countries like Chile, who would come to the United States on Visas and with the intention of committing a variety of crimes.

     The people who headed up the organization would provide the criminal tourists with information about what homes and businesses to target, also provide them with vehicles to get there, and then a place to "fence" the stolen property.

     It some cases the thieves would steal credit or debit cards and then use them to buy merchandise from major retailers which would be resold.

     They were also involved in organized retail thefts.

     The leaders would pay the thieves only a fraction of the stolen property value and then resell it for much more.

     They would launder the proceeds in a way that hid their source or avoid government reporting requirements.

     The authorities allege that at the top of the group was 57-year-old Juan Carlos Thola-Duran of Canyon Country who operated what amounted to a phony car rental company in the San Fernando Valley.

     The organization and operation started at least as early as 2018 and involved scores of crimes throughout the United States involving tens of millions of dollars.

     Ventura County authorities say they've arrested more than 130 suspects who carried out these various crimes.

     Also, the federal authorities say that the ring leaders conspired to fraudulently obtain almost $275,000 in COVID-19 business relief funds during the pandemic.