NEWYou can now hear Fox News articles. A California man has admitted running a “crime tourism’ ring that provided fraudulent car rentals to foreign thieves who stole nearly $24million in luxury goods. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Juan Carlos “Pacero”, Thola-Duran pleaded guilty in federal court on Monday to one count of conspiracy for wire fraud, to receive, transport and launder stolen property interstate and to commit money laundering. He also pleaded to another count of structuring transactions so as to avoid federal financial reporting obligations. Prosecutors said Thola-Duran and his then-girlfriend Ana Maria Arriagada created the fictitious Van Nuys rental car service Driver Power Rentals (DPR) with her. According to federal officials, Arriagada pleaded guilty to four felonies in connection with the case last year. The DOJ reported that she pleaded guilty last year to four felonies related to the case. Thola-Duran, Arriagada and their co-conspirators were then given vehicles under the DPR license to travel to and from burglaries. They also instructed them to use false identities to make rental agreements appear legitimate. FEDS: CRIME TOURISM GROUP OPERATING OUT of LA CAR RENTAL FIRM STOLE MILLIONS in HEISTS AND HOME THEFTS Prosecutors claimed that Thola-Duran acted as a “fence,” purchasing the items at a discounted price and paying the thieves a percentage of the sales. Authorities said Thola Duran, Arriagada, and others fraudulently obtained approximately $250,000 in COVID-19 Business Relief Loans. According to prosecutors, Thola-Duran, Arriagada, and others used the money to buy various assets, such as real estate and horses. Two alleged co-defendants in the case, Patricia Enderton (45) and Federico Jorge Triebel IV (79), have pleaded not-guilty and will go to trial in the coming months. Thola-Duran could face up to 55 years of federal prison time when he appears in court in the coming months. Seven individuals are facing charges in connection with the alleged crime tourism ring. Ventura County Sheriff James Fryhoff stated in a press release that since 2019, they have arrested more than 130 suspects who are responsible for these crimes. The vast majority of them used cars provided by Driver Power Rentals. “Instead, they dispatched trained thieves to Southern California in order to steal from where we should feel safest – our homes.” “The DOJ didn’t immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. Sarah Rumpf Whitten, Fox News Digital’s Sarah Rumpf Whitten, contributed to this report.
