Three Los Angeles residents pleaded not guilty to multiple theft-related charges in Ventura County Superior Court on Sept. 15 for allegedly stealing mail from the Camarillo post office.
A 43-year-old man, 38-year-old woman and a 33-year-old man were each charged with two felony counts of conspiracy to commit a crime, felony identity theft with possession of the personal identifying information for more than 10 people and a misdemeanor for possession of burglary tools, according to court records.
The 33-year-old was also charged with felony identity theft with a prior conviction, and he was found to be on federal probation, records show.
Investigators with the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office saw an increase in mail thefts and fraud cases involving
forged checks in August and September, the sheriff's office said. They determined that exterior mailboxes at the post office on Pickwick Drive had been tampered with using homemade contraptions that bypassed security measures.
The alleged mail thieves would then return to the mailboxes to fish out mail with another homemade device, officials said.
Sheriff’s deputies responded to the post office on Aug. 21 after receiving a report that a contraption had been found inside an outdoor mailbox, the sheriff’s office said.
With surveillance footage recovered at the post office, investigators identified the suspect's vehicle and physical description, sheriff’s officials said.
Using automatic license plate reader cameras, sheriff’s detectives were able to identify the license plate of the vehicle and located it Sept. 13.
The vehicle was found in Simi Valley, then again in Camarillo. Investigators believed that the suspects might be returning to the post office to steal more mail.
Deputies increased patrols around the Camarillo post office and spotted the vehicle, the sheriff’s office said. They pulled the vehicle over and arrested the three occupants.
A search of their vehicle found more evidence linking them to the mail thefts, including burglary tools, homemade mail-theft devices, stolen mail and checks and numerous cell phones, the sheriff’s office said. Methamphetamine and narcotics paraphernalia were also found inside.
The three were booked into Ventura County jail but were released, according to jail records. They are scheduled to return to court on Nov. 3, records show.
Ernesto Centeno Araujo covers breaking news for the Ventura County Star. He can be reached at ecentenoaraujo@vcstar.com, 805-437-0224 or @ecentenoaraujo on Instagram and X.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: 3 Los Angeles residents plead not guilty to Camarillo mail thefts
