Tip Leads Police to Stolen Computer Items

Acting on a tip, police from Westminster and Garden Grove recovered more than $1 million in stolen computer systems and components in several warehouses in Orange and Los Angeles counties, police said Thursday.

Westminster Police Lt. Larry W. Woessner said the warehouses were rented by people who placed orders for hundreds of thousands of dollars in computer equipment from supply companies throughout the United States, then paid with phony cashier’s checks.

“They operated out of storefront businesses. UPS and Federal Express would make their deliveries and pick up a check. By the time the victims would contact us, the place is folded up and the suspects are long gone,” Woessner said.

Suspects have been identified but no arrests have been made. Their names were not released by police.

Police were tipped last week by a computer supply company that several businesses were apparently phony operations. Those business names included Delcom, on Golden West Street in Westminster, Hitek, on Joy Street in Garden Grove, and International Data Systems on Kilroy Airport Way in Long Beach.

On Wednesday, the investigation led to a Long Beach warehouse where a large amount of computer equipment was recovered, Woessner said.

“The operation allows the suspects to obtain the computer equipment with a fraudulent check and later sell the equipment at 100% profit,” Woessner said.

He said the operation is designed to be “very quick” and operate only for a few days and then close down by the time the suppliers are advised by their banks that the cashier’s checks are no good.

Victims included supply companies from Florida, New York, Ohio and California.

“We’re still getting calls from victims. I just got a call from Los Angeles (sheriff’s deputies) in the City of Industry about a supplier with a $1,000 check returned from his bank. The list of victims could grow,” Woessner said.