Three Suspects Arrested for Passing Counterfeit Bills
Three suspects were arrested by San Luis Obispo police after they attempted to pass counterfeit $100 dollar bills at downtown businesses on Wednesday.
Javier Diestra
According to SLOPD, they received a call of a subjects attempting to pass a counterfeit $100 bill at Zoey’s Home Furnishings around 3:30 p.m. Police say officers responded to the area and located two of the suspects in Fordens on Monterey Street attempting to pass another counterfeit $100 bill. A third suspect was located a short time later in the downtown area.
Police arrested Javier Diestra, 40, of Arizona, Carmen Ramirez, 27, of Van Nuys and Raul Ugarte, 20, of Reseda. According to SLOPD, during the investigation the United States Secret Service was contacted and responded to assist with the investigation. Investigators were able to determine the suspects have been traveling Highway 101 from Los Angeles to the San Luis Obispo area.
Martinez
Police think the suspects may have been passing additional counterfeit $100 bills prior to arriving in San Luis Obispo. Eight victim businesses in San Luis Obispo have been identified – Zoey’s Home Furnishings, LuLu Lux, Moondoggies, Fordens, Victoria’s Secret, The Gap, Sherwin Williams and Charles Shoes.
The suspects were arrested on charges of burglary, forgery, conspiracy and passing counterfeit bills. Their bail was set at $20,000 each.
Ugarte
The investigation is ongoing and anyone with additional information is encouraged to contact the San Luis Obispo Police Department at (805) 781-7312 or Crime Stoppers at (805) 549-7867.
Read More:
San Luis Obispo Tribune: 3 Arrested for Passing Fake $100 Bills in Downtown SLO
KSBY: Three People in Custody for Using Counterfeit Bills
