KERMAN, Calif. (FOX26) — The Kerman Police Department announced the arrest of five individuals involved in a series of mail thefts and identity fraud cases, following an investigation that identified suspects and vehicles linked to the crimes.
The arrests took place on Sunday when a Kerman officer patrolling the west side of the city spotted a vehicle matching the description of one tied to previous thefts. A call from a residence on the 200 block of S. Thomas Avenue reported surveillance footage of a mail theft involving a dark-colored sedan that matched the stopped vehicle.
Upon stopping the vehicle, the officer discovered that the driver, Brian Vang, 27, of Sacramento, and his passenger, Pang Mua, 45, of Fresno, were in possession of tools used to access community mailboxes and over 670 pieces of stolen mail. Vang also had an outstanding felony assault warrant from Sacramento. Both were arrested at the scene.
Further investigation led to the execution of a search warrant at a residence outside of Kerman, with the assistance of U.S. Postal Service Inspectors. During the search, investigators recovered more stolen mail containing sensitive financial and personal information, along with equipment used in fraudulent activities.
This led to the arrest of Jose Martinez, 20, Shilee Vang, 18, and Shamsiye Sharafi, 30, all from Kerman. They were arrested on various charges, including identity theft.
Brian Vang now faces eight charges related to identity theft and is being held in jail without bail. Pang Mua faces seven identity theft-related charges, with a $60,000 bail. Shamsiye Sharafi is facing multiple charges, including felony identity theft, with bail set at $220,000. Jose Martinez and Shilee Vang were released with citations and court dates.
The Kerman Police Department, in collaboration with U.S. Postal Service Investigators, is actively working to contact the victims associated with the recovered mail to return stolen items and identify further victims of the identity theft ring.