Crime & Safety
Laguna Repairman Bought Cars, Home With Forged Checks: OCDA
The handyman hired by an unidentified Laguna Beach resident allegedly stole over $500,000 in forged checks, the OCDA's office said.
LAGUNA BEACH, CA —Be careful who you hire, according to the experience of a Laguna Beach homeowner. A longtime home helper, hired to act as a handyman "repairman" allegedly stole checks, cashing them to the tune of over a half-million dollars, the Orange County District Attorney's office reported last week.
A 30-year-old felon, who was deported following a burglary conviction in 2011, returned to the country and was arrested Thursday on charges of stealing about $580,000 from a Laguna Beach man, a prosecutor said.
Jose Angel Martinez Casillas, 30, of Tijuana, was arrested crossing the border as he attempted to use an alias, said Senior Deputy District Attorney Marc Labreche.
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Casillas, who told authorities he was brought to the country originally by his mother when he was 3, was convicted in 2011 of breaking into the rooms of a Garden Grove hotel and stealing from guests while he worked there in maintenance, Labreche said. He was deported following that conviction.
Casillas was charged last Wednesday with a count of first degree residential burglary, 56 counts of forgery, and 41 counts of grand theft, all felonies. He also faces sentencing enhancement allegations of property damage exceeding $200,000, aggravated white collar crime exceeding $500,000 and the burglary conviction in 2011.
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The victim hired Casillas as a repairman, so he had access to his employer's home, Labreche said. From August 2016 through February 2017, Casillas allegedly stole checks worth a total of $430,000 from his boss' home, forged his signature and cashed them, Labreche said.
After Casillas stopped working for the man, the defendant then turned to using his ex-employer's bank routing number to take about $150,000 more, Labreche alleged.
Casillas would have family members buy cars for him and used the pilfered cash to repay them, Labreche said. He used some of his allegedly ill- gotten gains to build a home in Tijuana, Labreche said.
Casillas could face up to 153 years and four months in prison if convicted at trial.
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