Canyon Country woman pleads guilty in ‘crime tourism’ case
Canyon Country woman pleads guilty in ‘crime tourism’ case
A Canyon Country woman pleaded guilty Wednesday to her role in a “crime tourism” ring that dispatched thieves from South America to various parts of the United States to shoplift, burglarize homes and businesses, and steal credit cards.
Ana Maria Arriagada, 42, entered a plea to federal counts of wire fraud, receipt of stolen property, money laundering, and structuring transactions to avoid financial reporting requirements, court papers show.
Sentencing was set for Dec. 1 in downtown Los Angeles.
According to the 46-count indictment, Arriagada and her boyfriend, Juan Carlos Thola-Duran, lived in Santa Clarita and ran a car rental business called Driver Power Rentals on Van Nuys Boulevard in Pacoima.
From 2018 to July 2024, Thola-Duran, 58, directed crime groups from South America to travel to various parts of the United States to commit thefts, the indictment filed in Los Angeles federal court alleges.
Arriagada and Thola-Duran ordered associates who stole credit cards to immediately go to stores such as Target, Best Buy and Home Depot to max out the cards by purchasing electronics, gift cards, designer purses and other high-end luxury goods before the pilfered cards could be canceled, the indictment, which names seven defendants, states.
Thola-Duran then arranged for the thieves to deliver stolen goods to associates at DPR or to mail the products to other accomplices or conspirators at a FedEx store in Sherman Oaks, prosecutors say.
At Thola-Duran’s direction, co-defendants picked up the parcels then delivered them to Thola-Duran and others, with Thola-Duran acting as a fence to buy the goods at a fraction of their retail value, according to the indictment.
Federal prosecutors contend Thola-Duran then sold the stolen goods to other buyers for about $5.5 million over the course of the conspiracy, including $5.1 million sent to various bank accounts his accomplices controlled.
Arriagada and Thola-Duran are suspected of using the proceeds of the thefts to purchase assets such as real estate and horses, and allegedly structured cash withdrawals to avoid triggering the requirement that banks report transactions exceeding $10,000 to the U.S. Treasury Department.
The indictment alleges that Arriagada, Thola-Duran and others also conspired to fraudulently obtain $274,998 in COVID-19 business relief loans.
Thola-Duran is scheduled for trial in August, court papers show.
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