RENO — Reno Police have arrested a woman in connection with multiple fraud related crimes.

On 2/14/12 detectives from both the Reno and Sparks police department teamed up with the Northern Nevada Identity Theft Task Force to investigate a series of fraud related crimes dealing with check and credit card fraud.

The focus of the investigation was 30-year-old Jessica Robertson. Detectives had information that Robertson was involved in mail theft that led to her forging the stolen checks and cashing them. Credit cards and credit card applications were also stolen and accounts were opened without the victim’s knowledge.

The detectives began a surveillance of Defendant Jessica Robertson. Ms. Robertson was observed conducting four separate fraudulent transactions at local businesses using fraudulent identification. Robertson was stopped and detained by detectives after completing the last transaction.

A search warrant was then obtained and served on Robertson’s apartment in the 400 block of Capital Hill, Reno. Inside of the apartment was an active financial forgery laboratory.

Robertson was then arrested for Possession of a Financial Forgery Laboratory, two counts of Identity Theft, two counts of Burglary, two counts of Possession of a Forged Instrument and two counts of Uttering a Forged Instrument. Her bail is $60,000.00. More charges are anticipated as the investigation continues.

The NNITTF is comprised of detectives from the Reno and Sparks Police Departments, the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office, the United States Secret Service and the United States Post Office Postal Inspectors Service.

The Reno Police Department is asking for the public’s assistance in identifying the suspect(s).  Anyone having information relating to this crime or the suspect(s) should contact the Reno Police Department at 334-2115, Secret Witness at 322-4900,www.secretwitness.com, or text the tip to 847411 (TIP 411) keyword – SW

A string of thefts from the vehicles of unsuspecting tourists at the “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas” sign ended abruptly earlier this month after Las Vegas police caught two people casing automobiles.

Juan Cordero, 49, and Jakeline Delgado, 26, were arrested Feb. 10 on two counts of auto burglary.

Upon searching the suspects’ homes, officers discovered more than a dozen pieces of luggage, cellphones, computers and other items belonging to visitors from around the world.

Cordero and Delgado probably will be charged with additional felonies after police identify owners of the stolen property, said Ray Flynn, a detective with the property crimes section. Police currently have enough evidence to link the pair to seven burglaries, but Flynn said they might be responsible for even more.

The detective said Cordero would discreetly snatch bags from unlocked cars in broad daylight as tourists posed for photos at the iconic sign. Cordero would hand the bags off to Delgado, an accomplice waiting in a nearby car.

Although most people were only away from their cars for five to 15 minutes, that’s all it took for criminals to ruin vacations and devastate families.

“Some people were hit pretty hard,” Flynn said.

STOLEN PASSPORTS

One of those people was Folkert Rozendal, a Dutch citizen on a weeklong trip across the southwestern U.S.

As Rozendal left Las Vegas for Los Angeles near the end of his vacation on Feb. 8, he and two friends stopped for photos at the sign, located in the median at 5100 Las Vegas Boulevard South, near Russell Road.

When they got back to their rental car, however, their backpacks were missing.

Rozendal said he thought he locked the car and would have taken the packs if he had been in the Netherlands. But he felt safe at the sign, which had an excited, Disneyland vibe and was teeming with people, he said.

“This has to do with the illusion that such things would not happen to us since we were only 30 meters away from the car,” Rozendal wrote in an email.

The stolen items included credit cards, a pair of Sennheiser headphones (a birthday gift from Rozendal’s wife), a MacBook computer, their driver’s licenses, cellphones, cameras, $120 in euros and — most important — their passports.

After filing a report with the police, Rozendal and his friends contacted their country’s embassy in Washington, D.C., where they were told it would be impossible to get a temporary passport before their flight the next day.

On top of losing their belongings, they had to pay re-booking fees for their flight and also an extra night at a hotel and another day’s rental on the car.

It didn’t get any easier when they returned home, where in the Netherlands they had to arrange for new identification cards and file insurance claims for their missing property.

“Although it is just material things that we are missing, it is mainly the time that we lost which is frustrating us the most,” Rozendal wrote. “Still we are looking back at a wonderful stay in Las Vegas, but next time we will be more careful.”

TOURISTS DRAW THIEVES

The world famous diamond-shaped marquee, designed by Betty Willis in 1959, became more accessible after officials installed a 12-space parking lot at the sign in December 2008.

But from the very start, tourists weren’t the only folks eyeing the improvements.

“Where the people are, that’s where the criminals are,” Flynn said.

He was the lead detective on this series, which spanned a few months. But this wasn’t the first string of burglaries at the sign, and Flynn doubts it will be the last.

At least four or five other groups using the same methods have targeted the area since the parking lot was constructed.

Because most people stop at the sign on the way in or out of town, enterprising criminals quickly learned it was a great spot to snatch electronics, jewelry and cash from luggage.

“They (criminals) all know each other, and they’ll talk to each other and brag about how much they got from each trip,” Flynn said.

And although the sign is perhaps the most well-known landmark in Las Vegas, there are no permanent surveillance cameras, Flynn said.

There are cameras on streetlights, but those don’t record video and only show current traffic conditions, he said.

Flynn said he would prefer two cameras: one pointed at the parking lot, and one pointed at the exit to record license plates.

Each camera should record video for a minimum of 30 days, he said.

Police identified victims from Brazil, Newfoundland and New Jersey, but no locals.

“I think it should be the focus of a city in an economic recovery to protect its tourists as well as its locals,” Flynn said.

“We work closely with Metro and will do what they think is necessary and appropriate,” a Clark County spokesman said.

Flynn said the latest culprits struck every couple of days, sometimes spending hours in the parking lot as they waited for a tourist with the right car or wearing high-end clothing.

All of the burglaries happened between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m., when tourists were most likely to have their guard down.

“A lot of people were only gone for five minutes,” Flynn said.

Sometimes a tour bus showed up, bringing hordes of people with it. But police said that was a good thing for Cordero, a nine-time felon with a history of burglaries. More people meant longer lines — and more time to scour the lot for unlocked doors or open windows.

“He was very patient and methodical about the cars he’d choose,” Flynn said.

As for Rozendal, chances are his friends will get back some of their property.

Cordero and Delgado were arrested just two days after Rozendal was burglarized and police recovered some of his money, two cellphones and a wallet.

Although his computer and headphones were not found, police told Rozendal that Cordero will have to pay restitution.

Flynn said he hopes tourists will be more careful at the sign, and has a message to visitors:

“Just because you’re on vacation, don’t be lackadaisical. Lock your car.”

Contact reporter Mike Blasky at mblasky @reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0283.

Justice of the Peace Eric Goodman told Caramanica, 41, that if he is able to post bail, he’ll be on house arrest with an alcohol sensor bracelet and no driving privileges.

Terry characterized Caramanica as “exceedingly remorseful” about the crash killed seventh-grader Faith Love while she was going house-to-house a little after 8 p.m. Monday, dressed as a Native American princess and collecting candy with other youngsters.

A trial date wasn’t immediately set. Goodman scheduled a court date next Thursday to hear whether Caramanica makes bail and to schedule an evidence hearing.

He wasn’t asked for a plea to the two felony charges, which could get him a combined three to 26 years in state prison and up to $10,000 in fines if he is convicted.

Outside court, Terry said Caramanica intends to plead not guilty.

A police report says Caramanica appeared confused and failed field sobriety tests after the crash, and a breath test registered Caramanica’s blood-alcohol percentage at .068 percent and .067 percent.

That is below the .08 percent blood-alcohol limit for driving in Nevada, but police said they believed Caramanica also was under the influence of prescription drugs. Tests on a blood sample obtained from Caramanica shortly after the crash are expected to take several weeks.

Terry told the judge Friday that Caramanica takes prescription painkillers for back injuries stemming from a fall and a vehicle crash several years ago. The lawyer said his client is disabled due to his injuries and unable to work.

Witnesses told police Caramanica’s 2009 Mazda RX-8 appeared to be traveling much faster than the 25 mph speed limit when it hit Love in a northwest Las Vegas neighborhood.

HENDERSON — A 27-year-old Henderson man was arrested Wednesday morning in connection with the June death of his girlfriend’s young son.

Michael Alan Lee was arrested on murder and child abuse charges coming out of his home around 7:30 a.m. He was booked into the Henderson Detention Center and is being held without bail.

Henderson Police were called to an apartment at 2900 Sunridge Heights Parkway on June 15 about 9 a.m. for an unresponsive child. Police and emergency medical personnel arrived and found 2-year-old Brodie Aschenbrenner dead in the apartment. The boy was the son of Lee’s live-in girlfriend.

Investigators found some injuries and bruising to the boy’s head and body. An autopsy determined he died from the injuries sustained. An investigation determined Lee was alone with the child at the time the head injury was sustained and he also caused the injury to the boy’s abdomen.

The boy’s death is the second murder in Henderson this year.

LAS VEGAS — A suspected car thief led police officers on a brief pursuit Thursday morning which ended in a crash in an East Las Vegas neighborhood.

Metro Police say the incident started around 7 a.m. near Russell Rd. and Stephanie St. when the suspect stole a truck after stabbing the truck’s owner.

Police say the suspect dropped his identification at the stabbing scene which allowed police to locate his home address. Police called off their pursuit and sent up their helicopter to look for the suspect. A Metro helicopter pilot located the suspect near his home at Harmon Ave. and Mountain Vista St. where he had crashed into another vehicle. The driver of that vehicle is expected to be okay.

The stabbing victim and suspect were both transported to Sunrise Medical Center. Their conditions are unknown.

LAS VEGAS — Police have released information on the suspect in a double shooting Tuesday that left a woman dead and her boyfriend in very critical condition.

The Clark County Coroner’s office has identified the woman as 42-year-old Rosa Castrejon of Las Vegas.

Police say the couple was camping at Six Mile Cove when an unknown shooter attacked them.

Police say the suspect in this crime is described as a white man of unknown age, approximately 6-foot-4 inches tall and weighing around 210 pounds with a muscular build. The suspect has short brown hair with a salt and pepper goatee. He was last seen wearing a yellow button-up shirt, light blue jeans and tan work boots.

The suspect’s vehicle is described as an approximate 2000 year Jeep Grand Cherokee that is tan.

Anyone with information on this crime is asked to call Metro’s Homicide Section at (702)828-3521 or Crime Stoppers at 385-5555.