Alleged Private Investigator Scam
Posted By Goldstein Law Offices on Jul 6, 2010 2:39pm PDT
A former Santa Ana police officer, Kevin Sianez, has been accused of running a private investigation scam. According to reports, he not only defrauded those looking for private investigation services, but also subcontracted private investigators to do the work and then never paid.
Sianez now faces 63 counts of grand theft, theft, identity theft, perjury, computer access and fraud, and second-degree commercial burglary. He has previously been convicted of both stalking and theft. The prosecution claims that, as a former law enforcement office in California, Sianez knew exactly how to keep the police from finding out about his activities.
Complaints about Sianez have been ongoing for the past five years, at least. His victims who reported his activities to the police were told nonpayment was a civil matter and that law enforcement could not help. Others attempted to help potential victims by posting warnings online - they found their businesses viciously attacked online.
Lori Johnson, a private investigator came across the complaints online and began researching. She quickly realized Sianez's various businesses were a scam because he was not a registered private investigator. A subsequent warning post about Sianez resulted in a threatening phone call, in which the caller said he would burn down Johnson's house if she did not remove the post.
Johnson, however, did not relent. She called the FBI, IRS, state licensing board, and even the postmaster general for help. Johnson then found out that Sianez was already being investigated by the Orange County district attorney's office.
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