Pomona Men Accused Of Stealing Identities Of US Army Reservists
POMONA (CBSLA.com) — Two men from Pomona have been accused of using the identities of U.S. Army reservists serving in Afghanistan in order to establish credit and purchase vehicles, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.
Mauro Cortez, 25, and Rigoberto Cortez, 29, were taken into custody on Wednesday when members of the L.A. County Identity Theft Task Force served a search warrant at a Pomona home. The suspects were released after posting $20,000 bail each.
Evidence linking the men to the alleged crime was recovered at the residence, authorities said. Investigators believe there are more than five victims who were defrauded out of more than $100,000.
The victims' information was reportedly given to the suspects by a U.S. Army Reservist who is currently on active duty.
The identity theft task force consists of L.A. County sheriff's deputies and agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The investigation was conducted with the assistance of the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command out of Kandahar, Afghanistan.
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