Articles Tagged with theft

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A UC San Diego freshman has been implicated as the perpetrator in the disappearance of hundreds of pairs of underwear taken from the Sixth College dormitory laundry rooms. The thefts reportedly took place over a period of weeks before the suspect was caught in the act by a victim, leading to his arrest.

Weeks before David Chou, the alleged culprit, was captured students of UCSD’s Sixth College saw a sign posted in the area of the resident laundry rooms alerting of more than one incident where underwear was stolen. Several students continued to come forward with claims of missing undergarments, and a few weeks following the first warning a duplicate notice was posted encouraging the students to monitor their laundry at all times to deter the thief.

When one woman who requested to remain anonymous reported to her dorm advisor that an entire washing machine load of her laundry had gone missing containing up to 14 pairs of panties, she was assisted in reporting the event to campus police. They informed her that they were unable to facilitate further than suggesting she bring a companion along while doing laundry in order to better ensure her safety. She vented in a post on social media about what had happened to her, and Chou showed much hubris by leaving a humorous retort in the comment section.

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Idaho resident Ashley Nicole Vidrine has been accused of fraudulently advertising a rental property and accepting money from interested prospective tenants while having no intention of renting to them.

Though Vidrine and her husband reside in the townhouse she had listed as available for rent, police estimated she allegedly accepted down payments for the property nearing $3000 since the start of their investigation in early September. When would-be tenants who paid her went to view the property they found no one available, and Vidrine was unable to be reached by telephone. It is unknown at this time whether or not her husband was also a part of the hoax.

Police took 25-year-old Vidrine into custody on Thursday and she faces multiple charges including felony grand theft by deception, and felony computer crime for “Use of a computer or network to obtain money by means of false or fraudulent pretenses, representations or promises or committing theft.” In addition, Vidrine is charged with one count of misdemeanor petty theft. She is being held in Madison County Jail on a $50,000 bond.

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The FBI has charged 5 men and 4 corporations with illegally exporting high-tech microelectronics to Iran, in violation of the International Emergency Powers Act. Three of the men, including one from Aliso Viejo, were taken into custody in Houston, Texas. Two other men are believed to be out of the country.

The Iran-based company Faratel and Smart Power Systems in Texas were allegedly building uninterruptible power supplies and shipping them off for use by the Iranian Ministry of Defense, the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran and the Iranian Centrifuge Technology Company. According to the FBI these electronics can be used in military equipment such as surface to air and cruise missiles. The indictment states the items would be shipped to a company in Taiwan, then on to a company in Turkey, which would then send them to Iran.

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OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAIn a scene likely to be reenacted in Grand Theft Auto, a Palm Springs man stole a police car from the Orange County Sheriff’s Academy where recruits were being trained. Two men were arrested in January after investigators found the squad car missing and several other police cars burglarized.

The vehicle was found abandoned in Garden Grove the next day. The alleged perpetrator and his cohort were found in possession of stolen police items and were booked on charges of burglary, vehicle theft, and possession of stolen property.

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Mclaren_mp4-12c_goodwood_festival_of_speed_2010Two teens were arrested in Sonoma County on June 5 and now face charges for credit card fraud, receiving stolen property, identity theft and vehicle theft after the teens allegedly rented a $240,000 McLaren 12C using one or more stolen credit cards.

The 19-year old teens were somehow able to rent the McLaren, which is unusual because car rental agencies do not usually allow drivers under the age of 25 to rent high-end sports cars. They reportedly paid the $13,000 rental payment for the car and were able to get the keys before the agency realized the credit card was stolen.

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camera rollUnder California Vehicle Code §12500, driving without a valid license can result in a citation. Lacking evidence of liability insurance is a violation of Vehicle Code §16028 and a first-time offense can result in a fine of between $100 and $200, plus penalty assessments.

With all of the cards we’re required to keep track of, sometimes we misplace our driver’s license. If your glove compartment is anything like mine, finding a credit card-sized evidence of liability insurance amid a disorganized mess of papers, manuals, sunglasses and loose change is going to be difficult. Add an impatient police officer standing next to your car, and you’re going to get nervous. This nervousness can be misconstrued by the police officer as you being under the influence of a drug and may result in a breath and/or blood test. Even if you are not under the influence, an arrest can often jeopardize your employment and any professional licenses you may hold.

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With tax day coming tomorrow, it’s tempting to make a few tweaks to reduce the amount of tax you owe to the federal government. But allow yourself to get carried away and you may find yourself in federal prison on tax evasion charges. The former city of Bell chief administrator was convicted of allegedly falsifying losses on his taxes, but that’s only half the story.

As the city administrator, he reportedly misappropriated taxpayer funds to pay himself a salary far in excess of what he should have received, and then claimed more than $770,000 in non-existent losses to the IRS to inflate his take-home pay up to $1.18 million per year.

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When a man applied for a job selling life insurance, his potential employer pointed out a blemish on his background check that indicated he had an outstanding tax lien. Without missing a beat, the man replied that it had been taken care of and he would send proof. Shortly thereafter, a faxed letter was sent to the company indicating that the tax lien’s “amounts in question have been satisfied completely.” It concluded with, “there are no outstanding fees or penalties due, and your record has been cleared of any restrictions or liens.” The letter was signed in the name of a US District Judge.

The company was suspicious and sent the letter to Alicemarie H. Stotler, the judge indicated on his letter. The judge reviewed the letter and saw her forged signature on it. Surprisingly, the judge knew the man, since she once sentenced him to prison for filing a false tax refund claim. She reported the crime and FBI agents who later confronted and arrested the man, who “was cooperative and made a full confession.”

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With the holidays approaching, more shoppers will come out in force to pick up a holiday gift for their loved ones. Understandably, retailers will be keeping a closer eye on their products to ensure that the shoppers don’t become shoplifters.

Shoppers can unwittingly become victims of the criminal justice system, even if they’re not shoplifters. High-end retailers have been under recent scrutiny for acts of discrimination against potential buyers, in one circumstance even telling a black woman that she would not be able to afford the item she was looking at, before the clerk realized she was Oprah Winfrey.

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A group of Yale researchers recently conducted a jury trial study. They formed a group of 471 “jurors” of various body sizes to read a case surrounding the crime of check fraud while viewing one of four possible images of the “defendant.” Each image depicted a lean female, a lean male, an obese female, and an obese male. The participants in the mock trial were asked to rate the culpability (or guilt) of the defendant on a 5-point scale.

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