SPPD: Investigation leads to arrest for chartered boat scam

July 16, 2004
Santa Paula Police Department

A year-long investigation by Santa Paula police detectives resulted in the arrest of an area man who used fishing trips as bait to defraud travelers who found themselves floundering in Baja without a chartered boat.

By Peggy KellySanta Paula TimesA year-long investigation by Santa Paula police detectives resulted in the arrest of an area man who used fishing trips as bait to defraud travelers who found themselves floundering in Baja without a chartered boat.SPPD Det. Joey De Los Reyes said that Ernesto Penaloza, 46 of Santa Paula was arrested Wednesday on various charges resulting from his company, Cortez Pacific Sport Fishing, taking thousands of dollars from eager fishermen left waiting on the dock.Det. De Los Reyes said the investigation started a year ago with a complaint from a Carson resident who contacted the SPPD.“He said he and his friends had paid for a fishing trip,” to launch from the Baja area. “They mailed their money,” and arrived on the designated date but, “30 guys show up down there and the boat is not at the dock. . .the next day they found out,” that the owner of the chartered boat had not been paid by Cortez Pacific for the outing.Such chartered deepwater fishing trips attract fishermen from across the United States and the incident garnered coverage in Western Outdoor magazine.Once the story was printed the switchboard at the SPPD lit up with “hundreds of calls,” of those who had arranged trips through Cortez Pacific only to find that their money had not been forwarded to charter boat operators.
“The total loss for just one trip,” was about $100,000, said Det. De Los Reyes.Such trips can cost $895 to $2,000 per person, he added.Working with Det. Ken Clark and the Ventura County District Attorney’s Fraud Unit, Det. De Los Reyes was able to secure an arrest warrant.Penaloza, who was wearing a Cortez Pacific Sport Fishing T-shirt, was arrested at his home, also his business address, in the 100 block of South 4th Street.Penaloza was charged with grand theft and failure to provide travel, allegedly using the paid reservations for his personal use.“As we were conducting the investigation,” the case grew, noted Det. De Los Reyes. “People from throughout the United States were calling us and it took us a year for all the documentation and search warrants.”Penaloza was taken to Ventura County Jail and his bail was set at $10,000.



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