Suspects arrested on stolen mail charges

Robert Chacon

A routine traffic stop by Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies early

Wednesday resulted in the recovery of stolen mail and the arrest of

two men who might be part of a mail-theft ring, authorities said.

Deputies arrested Louis Vilchez, 31, of Glendale, on suspicion of

possessing stolen property and driving with a suspended license, and

Krista Beerman, 27, of Simi Valley, on suspicion of credit card theft

and possession of narcotics, Det. Sgt. Victor Ibarra said.

A third person in the car was not arrested.

Sheriffs pulled over Vilchez in the 4400 block of Oak Grove Avenue

near Jet Propulsion Laboratory for speeding, Ibarra said. Deputies

discovered several pieces of mail in the car with Glendale and La

Canada Flintridge addresses that did not belong to the occupants.

“We have identified at least 10 different victims,” Ibarra said.

“We stopped a mail-theft ring.”

The incident is the latest in a growing trend of mail and

identity-theft crimes, said Ibarra, adding that mail theft is usually

the first step toward identity theft.

Because Beerman and Vilchez had such a large amount of mail in the

car, police suspect they might have stolen mail before, Ibarra said.

“Because we are in an affluent community, this is a target area

for this type of crime,” he said.

To help avoid mail theft, residents should collect mail daily, use

a locking mailbox and shred mail containing personal information

before placing it in the trash, Ibarra said.

“Mail theft is a crime of opportunity,” Pasadena Postal Inspector

Mike McCarthy said. “People need to take precautions.”

Vilchez and Beerman were questioned by Sheriff’s detectives and

U.S. Postal Service inspectors after being booked. They were being

held Wednesday at the Crescenta Valley Sheriff’s Station, Beerman on

$20,000 bail, and Vilchez -- a parolee -- without bail. A court date

has not been set.