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Originally Published by Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Office
“ 35-year-old Justin D. Jones of Sonora was arrested on felony embezzlement charges following a five month investigation.
On May 5th, 2023, a representative of a local business reported that an employee, Jones, was suspected of embezzling money. Jones was an advertisement salesman for the business at the time of his crimes.
The Sonora Police Department conducted a thorough investigation into the matter and determined that Jones had scammed approximately 25 local businesses. Jones’ modus operandi was to offer local businesses discounts on advertisements that didn’t actually exist. He would then allow the business’ accounts to go unpaid and take the money for himself. Jones conducted these scams between 2021 to May of 2023. Through information gained during the investigation, the investigating officer determined that Jones scammed the local business of an upwards of $20,000.
An arrest warrant was issued for Jones, who subsequently turned himself in at the Tuolumne County Jail on November 9th, 2023.
“Individuals identified herein were arrested on suspicion of the crimes for which they have been charged. All such charges are merely accusations, and all defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.”
