Murrieta Police Arrest Couple on Multiple ID Thefts
MURRIETA – Police have taken a man and woman into custody on charges of identity theft after discovering evidence that points to multiple victims.
Joseph Andrew Roybal
On Wednesday, Murrieta Police Corp. Andrew Dorcas said it’s possible that some victims may not be aware their identities had been stolen. Joseph Andrew Roybal, 21, was arrested on Sunday and his girlfriend, Kelsea Anne Ryan, 19, was arrested on Monday after police searched a bedroom they shared in the 41100 block of Lorient Ct. Both are facing charges of identity theft with more than 10 victims, forgery, possession of stolen property, along with possession of controlled substances. Roybal is also being charged with violating probation.
Police discovered driver’s licenses, bank account data, checks and documents, plus a list of list of names that included birth dates and Social Security numbers. Among the items discovered, said police, were forged checks that were made payable to Roybal.
Kelsea Anne Ryan
Dorcas said it’s possible that some 57 people have been victimized by the pair, who are alleged to have stolen cars or to have taken the documents from victims’ vehicles. Ryan’s bail has been set at $75,000 while housed at the Robert Presley Detention Center in Riverside. Roybal was released from the Southwest Detention Center in French Valley, his bail set at $25,000.
Dorcas said that victims will receive a letter from police outlining the details of the case in an effort to alert them to potential problems. Most of the victims are from the Murrieta area, he said. A police press release from Sgt. Robert Anderson said officers were tipped to the case by a credit agency that was already investigating an identity theft case, tying it to Roybal’s address. Murrieta is a city located between Temecula and Elsinore.
Read More:
Press Enterprise: Two arrested on suspicion of identity theft
SWRNN.com: Murrieta pair suspected in identity theft scam
Murrieta Patch: Suspects Found With 57 Stolen IDs, Police Say
