Photo: Christina Yackery
VENTURA COUNTY – It’s become commonplace among Southern California renters to try to mitigate the impact of rising rents by reaching out for compatible roommates by posting on Craigslist.
Those legitimate postings may be nothing more than an easy way for criminal scammers to target their victims, as evidenced by the February 7th arrest of 30-year-old Thousand Oaks peripatetic resident Christina Yackery on multiple charges of identity theft, grand theft, forgery, possession of stolen property, and possession of a controlled substance.
According to Ventura County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Det. Jason Karol, Yackery scoured Craigslist postings seeking “new roommates,” whereupon she would ingratiate herself with the lessee, move in, and proceed to rob them blind by pilfering jewelry, credit cards, checks, and cash. Law enforcement became aware of this activity as early as June of 2017 when a victim reported fraudulent activity in her checking account. Yackery was the principle suspect, but by the time cops showed up, she was long gone.
Throughout the summer of 2017, VCSD detectives received multiple reports of stolen jewelry, I.D. information, and high-value property; all reports followed Yackery’s short-term tenancy with the victims. It wasn’t until January 23, 2018 when “two additional victims in Thousand Oaks” reported circumstances of identity theft and forgery while Yackery was their roommate.
Two weeks later, detectives made contact with Yackery as she was enjoying her morning coffee at a Starbucks store in Thousand Oaks. Her vehicle was searched, leading to the discovery of “stolen property, personal identifying information, and a useable quantity of cocaine.” Before her coffee cooled, Yackery was on her way to Ventura County Jail, where she was booked on the aforementioned charges.
Photo: Courtesy Ventura County Jail Booking
