Parolee Booked on Grand Theft, Fraud

A Huntington Beach parolee accused of using the name of Connecticut-based Champion International Corp. to order $104,500 in computer components, welding equipment and appliances from at least four manufacturing companies has been charged with grand theft and fraud, police said Friday.

Westminster police arrested William Gerald Fedorka, 36, when he arrived at Pacific Delivery Systems in Orange on Wednesday to claim a shipment of electronic equipment from Sony Corp. of America worth $72,000. Fedorka was using the alias of Michael Ross, police said.

Fedorka, on parole after spending two years in federal prisons on a 1983 counterfeiting conviction, was arraigned Friday and was being held in Orange County Jail in lieu of $250,000 bail.

Police Lt. David Wiggs said Fedorka apparently used the Ross alias to set up an office at 8130 McFadden Ave. in Westminster. Wiggs said that Fedorka apparently used forged purchase orders in the name of Champion International to order computer equipment, electronic appliances and welding supplies from such companies as Sony Corp. of America, Digital Computer Corp., Data General Corp. and El Monte-based Handy & Harman Inc.

Police did not know what happened to the other $32,500 in goods, Wiggs said.

Police learned of the operation when a sales manager for Sony in Compton noticed irregularities in paper work filed with that company by Michael Ross. The purchase orders did not have a disclaimer that is normally found on the back of such documents, Wiggs said. In addition, Ross claimed Champion had 980 employees at its Westminster office, which would have made it the largest employer in the city.

A representative of Sony contacted officials at Champion, who in turn called Westminster police on Aug. 7.

Police arranged to be present around 10 a.m. Wednesday when Fedorka--using the Ross name --arrived at Pacific Delivery Systems to pick up the shipment from Sony. When he identified himself as Ross, detectives arrested him, Wiggs said.