L.A. Man Arrested in Palm Desert Bank Fraud

Alfred Johnson was arrested for burglary, possession of stolen property, forgery, fraud/embezzlement and other charges. Image courtesy: Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.

--

A preliminary hearing is scheduled next month for an ex-convict accused of manufacturing bogus checks and credit cards and using other people’s personal information to commit acts of fraud in Riverside and Los Angeles counties.

Alfred James Johnson, 51, of Los Angeles was arrested last week following an investigation by local and federal authorities.

Johnson, who is being held in lieu of $500,000 bail at the Robert Presley Detention Center in Riverside, is charged with 45 felony and misdemeanor counts, including burglary, grand theft, identity theft and receiving stolen property.

The preliminary hearing, which will determine whether there’s sufficient evidence to warrant a trial in the case, is slated for April 6 at the Larson Justice Center in Indio.

According to Riverside County sheriff’s officials, Johnson’s alleged illicit activity came to the attention of investigators in early February, after he deposited a check at a Palm Desert bank. Sheriff’s Sgt. Aaron Eller alleged the draft was later confirmed to be fraudulent.

“The investigation revealed that Johnson was stealing bank checks and misrepresenting himself as other (people) while withdrawing money under several different assumed names,” Eller said.

According to Eller, detectives soon discovered that Johnson was wanted in Los Angeles County for allegedly perpetrating similar acts.

“Several law enforcement agencies have identified Johnson as being responsible for manufacturing counterfeit access cards (and committing) bank fraud and identity theft, with losses in the thousands of dollars,” Eller said.

U.S. Secret Service agents and sheriff’s investigators tracked Johnson down and arrested him without incident.

Court records indicate Johnson has prior felony convictions for which he served time in prison, though the specific nature of those crimes was not disclosed.

– City News Service.