Suspects Arrested in Rancho Santa Margarita Identity Thefts

Criminal charges were filed today against a man and woman accused in a months-long string of identity theft-related crimes around Rancho Santa Margarita and Orange County that ended with their arrests last week at a Costco store in Huntington Beach.

Alexis Goldschmied, 28, and Sheridan Aquinas Linehan, 36, of Oceanside, were arrested Thursday when police were called as Goldschmied was allegedly attempting to use a forged check to purchase a Costco membership, according to Senior Deputy District Attorney Sean O'Brien.

The two face multiple charges of burglary and identity theft stemming from several arrest warrants filed this year, according to court records.

They are accused of entering businesses, including yoga studios and a racquetball club, and stealing personal identifying information and credit cards and then using them at retail stores such as CVS or Target, O'Brien said.

The crimes were reported in Rancho Santa Margarita, Irvine, Mission Viejo and Costa Mesa.

In a shoplifting case out of Irvine, the two are also charged with possession of heroin and methamphetamine.

Linehan has a criminal history that includes a burglary case out of Los Angeles County Superior Court as well as being sentenced to 16 months in prison June 19, 2014, for possession of a controlled substance, according to court records.

City News Service