Six people were arrested in Los Angeles on Aug. 28 after allegedly facilitating a “crime tourism” group composed of South Americans and other individuals who engaged in burglaries and thefts throughout the United States and then laundered millions in illicit proceeds.
The six individuals were charged by a federal grand jury on Aug. 1, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ).
That indictment charged seven defendants in total with multiple felonies, including wire fraud, money laundering, conspiracy, and structuring transactions to avoid federal financial reporting requirements.
If convicted, they face up to 20 years in federal prison for each wire fraud- and money laundering-related count, up to 10 years in federal prison for each structuring count, and up to five years in federal prison for the conspiracy to transport stolen property interstate count.
“Crime tourism is a major problem impacting not just Southern California, but our entire nation,” U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada said.
“These defendants facilitated and directed crime tourists who committed hundreds of robberies across the country—in essence, they acted as quarterbacks for a team of thieves. We will continue to work with our local partners to hold accountable those who would come to our country and take advantage of our liberties to steal from the American people.”
The DOJ said that crime tourism groups involve people who often originate from outside of the United States, including from South America.
Members of such groups are responsible for conducting multiple burglaries, thefts, and other crimes throughout the country, the department said.
The groups often share the spoils of the thefts with facilitators and coconspirators, as well as others, both inside and outside the United States, according to the DOJ.
According to the indictment, 57-year-old Juan Carlos Thola-Duran, also known as “Parcero,” and his live-in girlfriend, Ana Maria Arriagada, 41, otherwise known as “Parcera,” lived in Santa Clarita and owned a car rental or dealership business called “Driver Power Rentals” (DPR).
From at least 2018 to July 2024, Thola-Duran directed people, often members of crime tourism theft groups traveling from South America, to travel to various parts of the United States to commit thefts, the indictment states.
The thefts involved shoplifting goods from stores, burglarizing residences and commercial businesses, and stealing victims’ credit and debit cards.
Stolen Goods Sold for Millions
In an effort to make the car rentals appear legitimate and maintain anonymity, the two also required their coconspirators to provide false identification when renting vehicles for DPR’s records.After members of the criminal group stole credit or debit cards, they were directed by Thola-Duran and Arriagada to immediately purchase electronics, gift cards, designer purses, and other high-end luxury goods from stores including Target, Best Buy, and The Home Depot before the cards could be frozen or canceled.
Thola-Duran also arranged for the thieves to deliver stolen or fraudulently obtained goods to associates at DPR or to mail them to other coconspirators, including defendant Miguel Angel Barajas, 57, of Northridge, or to other conspirators at a FedEx store in Sherman Oaks, the indictment states.
Thola-Duran’s 33-year-old son, John Carlo Thola, has also been charged as a codefendant. Prosecutors said he picked up the parcels and delivered them to Thola-Duran and other conspirators.
Thola-Duran would then purchase the goods at a fraction of their retail value and pay the thieves a percentage of the items’ value.
The DOJ said Thola-Duran sold the stolen goods to other buyers for about $5.5 million over the course of the scheme, including about $5.1 million that was sent to various bank accounts controlled by the coconspirators.
The defendants allegedly used their stolen gains to purchase real estate and horses and structured cash withdrawals in a way that wouldn’t alarm banks.
Arriagada’s mother is also listed in the indictment as an unnamed coconspirator, along with Patricia Enderton of California and Federico Jorge Triebel IV, also of California.
The indictment also alleges that Thola-Duran, Arriagada, and others conspired to fraudulently obtain $274,998 in COVID-19 business relief loans from May 2020 to June 2021.
Ventura County Sheriff James Fryhoff said law enforcement has arrested more than 130 suspects linked to the crime tourism group since 2019.
The vast majority used vehicles supplied by DPR, he said.
It is not clear whether the defendants have legal representation. The Epoch Times has contacted the DOJ for further comment.
