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Bay Area Identity Theft Ring Dismantled After Stolen Porsches Recovered

The investigation remains active as deputies continue contacting victims to return stolen property, track additional crimes, pursue further suspects.

FILE: Apple Park, Apple’s circular HQ office building, is seen in an aerial view over Cupertino, Calif., on May 16, 2024. An investigation into a burglary into Cupertino led law enforcement to bust an identity theft ring, officials said.
Jewelry stolen from a Cupertino home was returned to its owners after law enforcement made arrests in an alleged identity theft ring.
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Overview

  • A routine break-in on June 20 in Cupertino led to the theft of $18,000 in jewelry and electronics and two Porsches.
  • Surveillance footage and vehicle tracking tied the 2019 Cayenne and 2024 Taycan to multiple Bay Area crimes, including a Santa Clara police pursuit.
  • On July 17, the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office and regional task forces arrested Emillano Ontiveros, Brandi French and Kevin Monge at the Hayes Mansion Hotel.
  • Detectives seized 500 pieces of stolen mail, dozens of counterfeit and genuine IDs, credit cards, passports, a Porsche key fob and 24 grams of suspected methamphetamine from the suspects’ room.
  • Monge, Ontiveros and French face charges ranging from burglary and identity theft to check fraud and drug possession, and authorities have returned both Porsches and hundreds of personal documents to victims.