- Wednesday July 9th, 2014 :: 09:49 a.m. PDT
Bank Employee Arrested By #LASD #SCV Deputies For Allegedly Stealing Funds From Banking Customers.
In January 2014, deputies assigned to the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station were contacted by a Newhall resident regarding unauthorized transactions appearing on his bank statements. The victim reported that an unknown suspect used his bank card number to obtain goods and/or services totaling over $8,000 without his permission.
Then in May, another victim contacted deputies assigned to the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station regarding an identity theft incident. The victim reported she had over $16,000 taken from her checking account in April.
Detectives assigned to the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station investigated both of these incidents. As the investigation progressed, detectives found similarities in both cases, particularly regarding how the money was taken out of the accounts. After an extensive investigation, detectives learned that both incidents had a common suspect, and the suspect was a bank employee.
At one bank location, the victim left her debit card and it was allegedly retrieved by a bank employee and later used without authorization. At another bank location, that same bank employee allegedly encouraged the victim to leave his debit card behind and ensured the victim a new debit card would be provided. The bank employee then allegedly changed the pin number and made purchases without authorization.
Detectives partnered with supervising banking staff as the investigation continue. Banking supervisors were extremely cooperative with investigating detectives.
On July 2, 2014, at 11:55 am, Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station Detectives arrested Samuel Jose Godinez, a 25-year-old male from Valencia, for his alleged involvement in both these incidents. He was booked on felony commercial burglary, theft by access card, and for passing checks with known insufficient funds. Mr. Godinez was later released on bond. Banking supervising staff terminated Mr. Godinez’s employment after conducting their own internal investigation.
Mr. Godinez has yet to be arraigned on criminal charges; therefore, the name of the banking institution is not being released at this time.
Identity theft occurs when someone steals your personal information and uses it without your permission. It’s a serious crime that can wreak havoc with your finances, credit history, and reputation; it can take time, money, and patience to resolve. If you take action quickly, you can stop an identity thief from causing more damage. Follow these three steps as soon as possible: place an initial fraud alert, order your credit reports to check for fraudulent activity, and notify law enforcement.
More information about these incidents will be released as it becomes available.
Written By:
Deputy Joshua Dubin
[email protected]
Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department
661-255-1121 EXT 5802
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Address/Location
LASD - Santa Clarita Valley Station, Los Angeles County Sheriff
26201 Golden Valley Rd
Santa Clarita, CA 91350
Contact
Emergency: 9-1-1
Non-emergencies: 661-260-4000