FL Man Made $500K In Fraudulent Charges In 30 States: Venice Police

VENICE, FL — A Boca Raton man faces multiple charges after making more than $500,000 in fraudulent charges in more than 30 states, the Venice Police Department wrote in a Facebook post.

Jorge Arturo Valero was charged with grand theft, fraud and theft.

He was taken into custody Nov. 2 in Boca Raton by Venice police special investigations detectives, who had a warrant for his arrest, with help from the Boca Raton Police Department.

Detectives began their investigation Sept. 21 after a purse was reported stolen at the TJMaxx store on U.S. 41 Bypass.

The victim, whose purse was stolen while shopping, also found that her credit card was fraudulently used multiple times in Sarasota on the same day, police said.

Investigators identified Valero, who used multiple aliases and had been committing similar crimes in other states since 2011, as the suspect.

Valero was booked by Venice and Boca Raton police into the Palm Beach County Jail and is awaiting extradition from various states as his identity is being revealed.

Anyone who might have been a victim of fraud is asked to call the Venice police non-emergency line at 941-486-2444.