Fraud Squad Raids O.C. Operation
An anti-fraud task force this week raided a Lake Forest operation that allegedly ran an illegal loan and credit card scheme that defrauded victims out of about $400,000 in the past two years.
The targets of the investigation are Monica Sue Montes, 24, and Aldo Montes, also known as Julio Montes Ramirez, approximately 28. The pair operated under several fictitious business names, including Credit Advantage Financial Services, National Consumer Credit, First Fidelity Financial, Pacific Trust, First National Trust, and currently Capital One, law enforcement officials said.
They allegedly took in fees for loans or credit cards that were never issued.
In raids of Montes’ home and various mail drops Tuesday and Wednesday, the County of Orange Boiler Room Apprehension Task Force said it seized $150,000 from Montes’ bank accounts, $6,500 in cash, a 1998 Lexus valued at $57,000, and another $14,500 of victims’ funds found inside the car.
The pair have not been charged.
Alan Vanderpool, an investigator with the Orange County District Attorney’s office, part of the task force, said the investigation is continuing.
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