Four suspects were arrested yesterday, and two more are being sought in a case where a Seal Beach Police Department, SBPD, Detective provided a major break in the case. SBP Detective David Barr, no relation to this writer, performed the initial investigation which led to collaboration with the U.S. Secret Service and the cracking of a fraud ring. According to a release from the Orange county District Attorney’s Office, “These crimes were committed throughout several Southern California counties including Orange, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Bernardino, and Riverside.”
According to Sergeant Steve Bowles, of the Seal Beach Police Department, “the call came into us because T.J. Maxx HomeGoods up in the Rossmoor Center had been getting a series of counterfeit American Express Travelers Checks. It got assigned to our investigator who really took the lead on it. “The investigator, Detective Dave Barr, began working the case through an investigators’ information sharing network.
Bowls continued “He {Barr} found out that the alleged person who was using this counterfeit travelers check in Seal Beach had an ongoing investigation outside of our city as well.” The investigation “started with Seal Beach, but it combined with the Secret Service which ultimately led to an ongoing investigation and a surveillance which resulted in all of these arrests. The information we had helped them {the Secret Service} connect people together and as soon as we both corroborated our information, was really when the investigation took off with both agencies. We worked together in mutual surveillances, and collaboration in interviewing, etc.”
According to a statement from the DA’s Office, the defendants are Tyrone Donte Gray, 33, Los Angeles, Boyfriend of Goff; Tyrica Jenice Goff, 30, Los Angeles, Girlfriend of Gray; Jazmine Williams, 21, Hawthorne; Brittany Ellessee Myvett, 18, Los Angeles; Niesha Sherri Johnson, 25, Lancaster, Daughter of Beard; and Nedra Sherii Beard, 41, Los Angeles, Mother of Johnson.
Between December 2008 and February 2010, Gray and Goff are accused of participating in a fraudulent scheme to defraud retailers out of over $650,000 through the use of counterfeit American Express travelers' checks. They are accused of recruiting Williams, Myvett, Johnson, and Beard between November 2009 and February 2010 to participate in the scheme.
The six defendants are accused of using the counterfeit travelers' checks to defraud retail stores including T.J. Maxx, T.J. Maxx HomeGoods, and Marshalls. Each counterfeit check was in the amount of $100. The defendants are accused of using the checks to purchase store items usually valued over $100. They are accused of using travelers' checks to fraudulently purchase the items and taking cash back for the difference. The defendants are accused of then taking some of the fraudulently purchased items to a different store in the same chain and returning the item for cash.
Bowls indicated the defendants were arrested by SBPD, the Secret Service, and the Los Angeles Police Department at residences in Los Angeles and Lancaster. ”Arrest warrants were served and everyone was taken into custody without incidence.” The two defendants who were still at large were not in either of the residences when the arrests were made yesterday.
The defendants face various charges in a 99-count criminal complaint including felony second degree commercial burglary, felony forgery, felony street terrorism, misdemeanor receiving stolen property, sentencing enhancements for loss over $100,000, aggravated white collar crime over $500,000, property damage over $65,000, criminal street gang activity, and crime-bail-crime.
