Burglary Ring Used Stolen LA Times Vacation Hold Delivery Lists to Burglarized Homes

The Sheriff’s Department Wednesday said that 45 home burglary victims from Los Angeles and San Bernardino Counties are getting their property back after their homes were burglarized using stolen Los Angeles Times vacation hold delivery lists.

Hundreds of phone calls have kept sheriff’s detectives busy returning valuables to their owners after extensive media coverage about the arrests of a San Gabriel Valley-based burglary ring, according to a news statement.

“Valuable items being returned to owners include a collection of Elvis Presley art as well as a numbered Thomas Kinkade print,” said Sheriff’s Major Crimes Bureau Lieutenant Kent Wegener.

“Yet many people have also been able to recover personal possessions of great sentimental value. One granddaughter was grateful to find out her grandfather’s irreplaceable WWI military deployment records had been recovered,” Wegener said.

Hundreds of stolen property items valued at over $100,000.00 were recovered when the arrests were made, and Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Major Crimes Bureau detectives are continuing to return property to their rightful owners, according to the statement.

In speaking to callers, Sheriff’s detectives have identified 20 additional people who they believe were victimized by the burglary crew. The additional victims include residents of Arcadia, Pasadena, Santa Monica, and West Covina in Los Angeles County, as well as Redlands and Ontario in San Bernardino County.

Sheriff’s investigators have contacted many people whose identifications were found in the stolen property but who have not yet had the time to review the stolen property in person. Sheriff’s investigators are also still returning calls to the hundreds of people inquiring about their stolen property.

Due to the overwhelming response from the public, investigators may be working to identify victims and return their property to them for months.

Those who were burglarized after calling the Los Angeles to place a vacation stop on their paper delivery and have a police report detailing the stolen property are encouraged to call the Sheriff’s Major Crimes Bureau at (562) 946-7893.