crime tourism – A Canyon Country man pleaded guilty to helping a theft ring that prosecutors say relied on rented cars, stolen cards, and rapid spending across multiple states.
A Canyon Country man pleaded guilty this week to helping run a “crime tourism” theft operation prosecutors say caused millions of dollars in losses nationwide.
Juan Carlos Thola Duran. 59. admitted to playing a key role in a scheme federal prosecutors described as large-scale and mobile—one that they say used rental vehicles and targeted retail spending soon after stolen payment cards were obtained.. Prosecutors said the group’s losses are estimated at at least $23.9 million.
The case centers on a Van Nuys-based car rental business, Diver Power Rentals, according to federal prosecutors.. Prosecutors allege the rental operation functioned as the transportation backbone of the theft crews. including by providing cars while participants’ identities were concealed.. Officials said participants were required to provide false identification to make rentals appear legitimate.
Once the crews allegedly obtained stolen credit or debit cards. prosecutors said they were instructed to move quickly to big-box retailers and spend as much as possible—citing stores such as Target. Best Buy. and The Home Depot—before financial institutions could freeze or cancel the accounts.. That speed mattered, prosecutors argued, because payment card cancellations tend to slow losses when they occur early.
From there, the merchandise—prosecutors said it included electronics, gift cards, and designer purses—was funneled through associates and resold.. In that step of the chain. Thola Duran was described as a “fence. ” a person prosecutors say purchases stolen goods for less than their value and then sells them for profit.. The fence role is often where investigators say the operation can become more than a string of thefts. turning it into an organized distribution network.
Prosecutors also say the group did not limit itself to retail theft.. They allege it fraudulently obtained nearly $275. 000 in COVID-19 relief funds. then used illicit earnings to buy assets such as real estate. vehicles. and other luxury items.. Investigators further found that Thola Duran allegedly structured cash withdrawals—repeatedly taking amounts under $10,000—to avoid federal reporting requirements.
For communities in Southern California and beyond. cases like this are a reminder that retail shrink is not just about opportunistic shoplifting.. When prosecutors describe a theft ring as coordinated. mobile. and tied to payment-card access. the practical impact widens: stores face inventory losses. customers can experience delayed reimbursement or account issues. and local residents can see more heightened enforcement efforts and policing resources diverted to combat organized crime.
There is also a broader pattern in how these networks operate.. Prosecutors’ description—false IDs. rental vehicles. stolen cards. rapid purchases. resale through intermediaries—fits a playbook that is hard for any single agency or business to interrupt.. It requires cooperation across industries: car rental screening. payment security. retail anti-fraud systems. and federal investigations that can follow the money trails once items are resold.
The federal charges in the case include conspiracy to commit wire fraud. receive and transport stolen property interstate. and commit money laundering. along with structuring transactions to avoid federal financial reporting requirements.. Thola Duran faces a maximum sentence of 55 years in federal prison, with sentencing scheduled for November.. Prosecutors noted that his co-defendant and former partner. Ana María Arriagada. previously pleaded guilty and is awaiting sentencing. while two other defendants are set to go to trial later this year.
For defendants. pleading guilty typically means the dispute shifts from whether conduct occurred to how investigators and judges will weigh the scale of harm and the defendant’s role within the scheme.. For the public. the case raises a persistent question: how many layers of “normal” services—like car rentals and everyday retail transactions—can be exploited before enforcement and screening measures catch up.. If prosecutors can connect transportation. payment fraud. and resale in one case. it may also provide a roadmap for future prosecutions aimed at disrupting the infrastructure that makes these theft rings so effective.