Federal authorities crack down on suspected tourist burglars in Southern California – NBC Los Angeles

US federal authorities in Los Angeles announced on Wednesday the arrest and prosecution of six individuals and one company on suspicion of organizing and leading so-called “tourist burglary rings.” In these rings, organized groups of thieves come to the US on easily obtained tourist visas, break into private homes, steal from stores and commit other financial crimes.

“The effects of criminal tourism are particularly evident here in Southern California,” said U.S. Attorney E. Martin Estrada. “This group has not only promoted criminal tourism, but in many cases actively directed it.”

In an indictment released on Wednesday morning, the group is accused of having been involved in a series of illegal activities from 2018 to 2024. Among other things, they are accused of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering.

Estrada said the leaders and other participants ran a car rental business in the San Fernando Valley called Driver Power Rentals, which was actually just the leadership of tourist theft squads from South America, especially Chile, who were sent to specific areas and businesses to commit thefts.

The two politicians, whom Estrada identified as Juan Carlos Thola and Ana Maria Arriagada, each face more than 200 years in prison if convicted.

“Thola ran Hertz's car rental business for thieves,” said Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko, who said his office has filed charges against more than 130 suspected tourist burglars since 2018.

“Today, however, thanks to our federal partners, a behind-the-scenes mastermind who incited and supplied foreign nationals to commit these crimes was arrested and charged,” he said.

According to the indictment, Thola and Arriagada sent the thieves to use the stolen credit and debit cards as quickly as possible “in order to maximize the value of the stolen credit and debit cards by purchasing electronics, gift cards, designer handbags, other high-end luxury goods, or other items before the stolen cards could be frozen or blocked.”

The thieves were instructed to send additional stolen goods to the ringleaders at a FedEx store in Sherman Oaks, where they picked up and sold the goods. A percentage of the proceeds was paid to the thieves, the indictment states.

Such tourist burglary rings are suspected of being responsible for a series of home break-ins in the San Fernando Valley and West Los Angeles, other law enforcement officials said, based on the thieves' specific tactics and other evidence.

Earlier this year, the LAPD announced the creation of a task force to combat South American thieves' groups, which will focus on combating these groups and their methods of reselling stolen goods.

Local law enforcement authorities have complained for years that the easy issuance of tourist visas in certain Central and South American countries has been abused by organized crime groups, and have urged lawmakers to restrict visits or require criminal background checks before visas are issued.

Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer, whose office was involved in the federal task force that conducted the investigation that led to those charges, said the application for an “ESTA” tourist visa costs just $22 and can be completed online.

Crime data released by the LAPD shows that the number of residential burglaries in LA has been steadily increasing in recent years. However, the number of burglaries is still below the residential burglary rate seen in the mid-2010s.