May 2, 2007

NEWS: Men Tried to Buy Diamonds With Fake Cards

Thanks to the careful observation of a conscientious jewelry store clerk in Camarillo, California, police were able to arrest two men accused of trying to buy a $3,000 cross necklace with fake credit cards. Hrach Utudjian, a twenty-three year old man from Glendale, and thirty-year-old accomplice, Varden Baltanyan of North Hollywood, were nabbed by police late one afternoon last week by Ventura County sheriff's deputies, about a mile from the Ultra Diamonds jewelry store on Ventura Boulevard where they attempted to make the purchase.

Utudjian and Baltanyan are accused of carrying the fake credit cards and a counterfeit California driver's license which were used to attempt the sale. Police spotted the pair and pulled them over in their car with the faux plastic and the jewelry in question near Old Town. The pair are being charged with burglary, forgery and identity theft, but were released on bail the same day. They are due to appear again in court later this week to face the charges.

Police thanked employee Beverly Peterson for her diligence in the case. Peterson told police that employees began to suspect the men when they browsed the store for only mere minutes before announcing their intent to buy the necklace. Like Peterson pointed out, very few customers are so cavalier about such a costly purchase. Another employee recognized the men from a previous visit to the store, and claimed that they had also acted suspicious at that time. The staff’s suspicions were realized when the men refused to show ID before the sale was completed, an Ultra Diamonds corporate policy.


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