Three arrested for fraudulent attempt to purchase a Corvette from Thousand Oaks dealership

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. (KEYT) – Three men were arrested in connection with a fraudulent attempt to buy a Corvette from a Thousand Oaks dealership this week.

On Sep. 23, deputies responded to a car dealership in the 3600 block of Thousand Oaks Boulevard for a person, later identified as a 48-year-old Woodland Hills man, trying to purchase a $68,000 Chevrolet Corvette using a fraudulent identification card that was for a real person, just not the buyer, stated a press release from the Ventura County Sheriff's Office Wednesday.

The same buyer had submitted another person's social security number while applying for credit at the dealership in order to buy the Corvette added the Ventura County Sheriff's Office.

All of these initial communications were online, but deputies learned that the buyer had made an appointment to purchase the vehicle shared the Ventura County Sheriff's Office.

According to the Ventura County Sheriff's Office, detectives from the East County Investigations Bureau responded to the dealership and the 48-year-old Woodland Hills man arrived at the dealership alongside two other people, a 32-year-old Winnetka man and a 41-year-old Lancaster man.

The 48-year-old Woodland Hills man was seen signing paperwork identifying himself as another person and then used the same person's credit to purchase the vehicle noted the Ventura County Sheriff's Office.

The Woodland Hills man was arrested before the final transfer of the vehicle and it was discovered during an investigation of the incident that the two other men who had arrived with the 48-year-old also had fictitious forms of identification in their possession and had all planned to secure the Corvette fraudulently detailed the Ventura County Sheriff's Office.

All three men were arrested at the scene and booked into the Ventura County Jail with bail set at $200,000 shared the Ventura County Sheriff's Office.

The 48-year-old Woodland Hills man was booked on the following charges:

• PC 664/487(d)-Attempted Grand Theft Auto
• PC 182(a)(1)-Conspiracy to Commit a Crime
• PC 530.5(c)(1)-Attempt to De-Fraud with Personal Information
• PC 470(b)-Forgery
• VC 664/10851(a)-Attempted Stealing of a Motor Vehicle

The 32-year-old Winnetka man was booked on the following charges:

• PC 664/487(d)-Attempted Grand Theft Auto
• PC 182(a)(1)-Conspiracy to Commit a Crime
• PC 530.5(c)(1)-Attempt to De-Fraud with Personal Information
• VC 664/10851(a)-Attempted Stealing of a Motor Vehicle

The 41-year-old Lancaster man was booked on the following charges:

• PC 182(a)(1)-Conspiracy to Commit a Crime
• PC 470(b)-Forgery
• PC 664/487(d)-Attempted Grand Theft Auto
• VC 664/10851(a)-Attempted Stealing of a Motor Vehicle