Sheriff’s deputies arrest Carpinteria woman after stolen checks cashed for more than $1,700
CARPINTERIA, Calif. - Ventura County Sheriff's deputies arrested a woman from Carpinteria after three checks were stolen from a mailbox, forged and cashed for a total of more than $1,700.
Deputies said they responded to an identity theft call on the 2000 block of Grimes Canyon Road on July 6, 2021.
The victim told deputies he was alerted by his financial institution that three personal checks had been cashed by an unknown person named Briana Gutierrez. The victim said he had placed these checks in his mailbox but had not made them out to Briana Gutierrez, nor did he know anyone by that name.
The sheriff's office said the three checks were stolen, forged and cashed for a total of $1,701.89.
The Fillmore Detective Bureau quickly followed up and identified the suspected check-casher as 28-year-old Briana Gutierrez, a Carpinteria resident with a history of criminal theft crimes.
On Wednesday, Aug. 4, detectives moved in and arrested Gutierrez for several felonies. She was booked into the Ventura Pre-Trial Detention Facility on charges for identity theft, possession of stolen property, forgery and burglary.
Her bail was set at $70,000, but the sheriff's office said she posted bail and has a pending court date.
Anyone with information relating to crimes of this nature involving Gutierrez is urged to contact Detective Pewsey at 805-947-8128. The sheriff's office said Gutierrez may be implicated in additional check fraud crimes with other victims.
The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office would also like to remind citizens to be aware of loose mail placed in unlocked mailboxes and the theft of mail left in unlocked mailboxes for extended periods of time. Please remember that Postal Inspectors across the country work hard to protect your mail, but with deliveries to more than 100 million addresses, the Postal Inspection Service can't do the job alone. You can protect your mail from thieves by remembering to pick up your mail promptly after delivery and avoid leaving it in your mailbox overnight. If you're expecting checks, credit cards, or other negotiable items, the sheriff's office recommends you ask a trusted friend or neighbor to pick up your mail instead.
If you see or suspect a mail thief at work, or if you believe your mail was stolen, call 911 immediately, then call Postal Inspectors at 877-876-2455 and (press 3).
