A Murrieta man was taken into custody as part of an inquiry concerning fuel thefts tied to fraudulent credit card charges filed against a Ventura County business, authorities stated on Thursday. Tigran Gabrielian, 61, was apprehended at a gas station in Newbury Park after detectives connected him to illicit fuel transactions conducted with pilfered credit card data, the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office reported.
Investigation began with $113,000 data breach
The probe commenced on Oct. 17, when deputies were dispatched to a reported data breach at Poole Commercial Fuels, situated on Vineyard Avenue near North Patterson Road in an unincorporated section of Oxnard. Company officials informed officers of over $113,000 in unapproved charges to their accounts. Detectives ascertained that a number of deceitful fuel transactions had taken place at gas stations across Ventura County. Investigators learned that culprits were employing numerous stolen credit cards to procure up to $2,500 worth of fuel in one transaction. Authorities theorized that the implicated vehicles had been altered to carry substantial amounts of fuel.
Modified vehicle and evidence seized
Detectives pinpointed the vehicles under suspicion by analyzing surveillance recordings from local gas stations and information from the Sheriff’s Office’s Flock automated license plate reader system. On Nov. 4, stolen credit card data was utilized a second time at a gas station in Newbury Park, where a suspect acquired roughly $900 worth of fuel and then departed the location. Detectives subsequently tracked down the suspect’s vehicle at another gas station, where they detained Gabrielian. A search conducted subsequent to his arrest revealed that Gabrielian was in possession of several blank credit cards. Every card possessed a sticky note bearing an expiration date and a personal identification number, or PIN. Officials also confiscated a significant sum of cash as evidence. A search of the truck Gabrielian was operating revealed further proof of the alleged fuel theft scheme. Despite the truck’s resemblance to a standard utility work vehicle, detectives found hidden fuel tanks and sizable fuel bladders within. The truck additionally contained a pumping setup, featuring a dispensing handle and a meter, which enabled fuel to be siphoned and quantified. The truck was confiscated as evidence.
Charges and ongoing investigation
Gabrielian was charged with nine counts related to identity theft and grand theft. The inquiry is still active, and detectives suspect other individuals might be involved. The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office is requesting that anyone with knowledge of the thefts get in touch with law enforcement.
