Michelle Villarreal and Robyn Moore
Ventura County – While nobody likes going to their mailbox and finding a stack of monthly bills waiting for them, not getting your monthly bills in the mail can be even less enjoyable, particularly when the personal data inside those envelopes provided fodder for identity thieves.
The sad fact that there are people out there actively stealing mail for the sole purpose of gathering that data was in evidence on January 13th, when, according to the January 29th report filed by Ventura County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Det. Joe Mulrooney, VCSD deputies working out of the Ojai Valley Substation conducted a routine traffic stop in downtown Ojai.
As deputies approached the vehicle in which 38-year-old Michelle Villarreal and 41-year-old Robyn Moore were riding, they immediately suspected the women were under the influence of a controlled substance.
Pursuant to a field evaluation, that suspicion was verified and both women were at that time placed under arrest.
As a records check revealed that Moore was on probation, deputies conducted a search of the ladies’ car and discovered a cache of mail that had been stolen from nearby Oakview earlier that day.
VCSD detectives were soon on the scene. According to Mulrooney, “through the course of the investigation Villarreal and Moore were linked to additional thefts in cities throughout Ventura County,” with more than 50 victims identified.
Both women were transported to Ventura County Jail where they were booked on charges of mail theft, being under the influence of a controlled substance, and identity theft. Villarreal’s bail was set at $110,000 while Moore’s was set at $70,000.
Since their arrest, Villarreal and Moore have been associated with additional identity and mail thefts “dating back to September 2015,” Mulrooney indicated.
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