Jewelry Thieves Target San Clemente Open Houses: Police

SAN CLEMENTE, CA — Detectives in Orange County arrested three people suspected of pulling off a scheme to steal jewelry from real estate open houses across the county, including homes in San Clemente, Anaheim and Ladera Ranch.

The trio, a man and two women, allegedly nabbed more than $20,000 in jewelry from unsuspecting home owners. Authorities were able to get back thousands of dollars worth of stolen items. Detectives also found a ledger complete with the details of scheduled open houses in Orange, San Diego and Los Angeles counties, said Jaimee Blashaw of the sheriff's department.

All three suspects are residents of Los Angeles. Nino Siganoff, 33, Valerie Siganoff, 36, and Barbara Adams, 29, were arrested Tuesday on suspicion of felony burglary.

"Investigators believe the suspects started running the scheme in October," said Jaimee Blashaw of the sheriff's department. "A male suspect would distract the real estate agent, while two female suspects would search other areas of the home and steal items."

Investigators believe the $20,000 worth of items recovered are from homes in Ladera Ranch, San Clemente and Anaheim, Blashaw said.

"While a portion of the recovered property has been returned to some of the victims, the property reunification process is ongoing," Blashaw said. "Sheriff's investigators also believe there are potentially more victims of this scheme."

Authorities released photos of recovered items, and urged possible victims to call investigators at (949) 206-6100. Anyone with additional information who would like to submit an anonymous tip can contact Crime Stoppers at (855_ TIP-OCCS, or via the website www.occrimestoppers.org.

City News Service contributed to this report. Photos courtesy of the Orange County Sheriff's Department.