Ventura – While the media airwaves are filled every day with warnings to consumers about the constant threat of identify theft and credit card fraud, those who perpetrate such crimes appear just as energetic about their daily business as well.
Dawn Marie Zolman
Evidence of that appeared in the City of Thousand Oaks when, in the mid-afternoon of March 31st, a Thousand Oaks Police Special Enforcement Unit detective just happened to be driving through the area’s commercial district when he spotted Terry Oliphant, a 44-year old resident of Oxnard whom the cop recognized as an individual currently on probation and subject to search. According to Ventura County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Sgt. Dan Hawes, the search of Oliphant’s vehicle revealed “a billy club and tools commonly used during burglaries.”
Matthew Jesus Cardona
Apparently intrigued by the contents of Oliphant’s car, detectives were then summoned to Oliphant’s hotel room where he was residing nearby. The search of the hotel room proved to be something of a treasure trove of evidence including “a credit card scanning device and a notebook that contained credit card and pin numbers for multiple victims.”
Just an hour later, detectives made contact with three other individuals: Dawn Marie Zolman, 39, believed to be residing at the hotel with Oliphant, Jose Jesus Cardenas, a 31-year old Camarillo resident, and Matthew Jesus Cardona, 29, hailing from nearby Oxnard. As detectives identified themselves to the trio, Cardenas dropped a glass pipe “commonly used to ingest narcotics,” which led even further inquiry on the part of the detectives.
Jose Jesus Cardenas
It was soon determined that all these folks lived at the same hotel, whereupon a search of their digs revealed additional credit card scanning devices and another notebook filled with credit card and pin numbers. Oliphant, Cardona, and Zolman were arrested on the scene and transported to Ventura County Jail where they were booked on a plethora of charges, including fraudulent use of a credit card scanning device, possession of personal information, obtaining credit in another person’s name, fraudulent use of an access card, possession of burglary tools, and conspiracy. Cardenas was cited for possession of an opium pipe; he was released at the scene, presumably to enroll in the nearest graduate school of economics…or not.
Photos: courtesy Ventura County Jail Booking
Read more:
EdHat: Identity theft/fraudulent card scamming
Citizens Journal: Four suspects arrested
