Nature of Incident: Theft Suspect Sentenced to State Prison
Report Number: 14-23445, 17-52386, 17-52475
Location: Ventura County Superior Court, 800 S. Victoria Ave., Ventura
Date & Time: October 18, 2018
Unit(s) Responsible: Sheriff’s Major Crimes Bureau
(S)uspects, (V)ictims, (P)arty, (D)ecedent City of Residence Age
(S) James Leroy Johnson Thousand Oaks 71
Narrative:
Theft suspect James Leroy Johnson was arrested on June 6, 2018 for multiple counts of grand theft, elder abuse and securities violations. Johnson misrepresented himself as a successful day trader and investment advisor. As a result, Johnson stole more that 1 million dollars from multiple victims and he used the stolen money for his own personal enrichment.
On August 30, 2018, Johnson pled guilty to several felony charges related to his crimes. On October 18, 2018, Johnson was sentenced to 10 years in state prison. Johnson was remanded to the custody of the Sheriff pending his transfer to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office would like to use this opportunity to again remind the public to be suspicious of promises that appear too good to be true. Suspects often target the elderly and non-investment savvy people with investment fraud scams that make false promises of making the victims’ rich.
All investments are weighted with an amount of risk. When contemplating an investment, please consider the following:
Beware of anyone offering an unrealistic high return on your money.
Beware of anyone who offers to sell you “a risk free investment.”
Beware of anyone offering to “help you out.”
Research and weigh all risk factors before making an investment.
Take time to discuss potential investment opportunities with friends or family members prior to committing funds.
Never let anyone pressure you into making a rushed decision about an investment.
Prepared by: Sergeant Rick Harwood
News Release Date: October 19, 2018
Media Follow-Up Contact: Rick Harwood / 805 797-7127
Approved by: Captain Jeff Miller
