$40,000 in Bad Checks Written; Man Held

Ventura police say they expect more victims to come forward after a Ventura man was arrested on suspicion of writing more than $40,000 in bad checks.

Anthony Navarro, 35, was arrested Friday. Navarro--detectives think that this is his real name--has three driver’s licenses, three Social Security numbers and three birthdays. He also has four outstanding warrants in Los Angeles--three for bad checks and one for spousal abuse.

Navarro allegedly went to mobile-home parks and offered to act as a middleman to sell mobile homes. He would take people’s money as a deposit--usually about $2,000--then disappear, police said.

Det. Juan Reynoso was looking at a house that Navarro owns and rents out--trying to figure out how Navarro paid for it--when he ran into a man who had come to buy Navarro’s appliances. Reynoso waited for Navarro to arrive, then took him into custody.

“It’s just a fluke that we turned up right when he was getting rid of his appliances,” Reynoso said. “This was actually a legitimate deal.”

Navarro allegedly pulled the mobile-home deposit scam at the Royal Duke mobile-home park in Oxnard and Mobile Estates in Santa Paula. The investigation of those alleged thefts is continuing, police said.

Reynoso believes that there are still some people holding bad checks written by Navarro, who is also known as Anthony Novis and Anthony Nava. Those with checks from Oceanaire Investments or information about Navarro should call 339-4475.