Farmington police report an increase in purse robberies by South American theft rings

FARMINGTON — Farmington police are alerting residents about an increase in purse snatches or “distraction thefts.”

According to Lt. Brian Cooper of the Farmington Police Department, in the last month, more than four such crimes have been reported in the city, many of them happening at the Station Park shopping center.

Cooper said the criminals are not your average pickpocketer but part of highly coordinated international criminal organizations, including a so-called “South American Theft Ring.”

In many cases, Cooper said, the thieves work in groups of two or more people. One suspect will approach a victim and distract them by asking for help. While the victim is engaged, a second suspect will rummage through their purse and steal their wallet without notice.

“We’ve seen a delay in reporting,” Cooper said. “The victim believes the wallet is in the purse until they get to a point of sale or return home.”

Within minutes, the suspects will start charging the victim’s credit and debit cards at nearby electronics and appliance stores where “large purchases can be made relatively quickly,” according to Cooper.

“It’s very concerning in terms of the large scope of what we’ve seen,” he said. “These suspects are often parts of criminal organizations and will travel doing this. Sometimes they’ve been referred to as ‘crime tourists.’”

According to Cooper, the criminals often enter the country with a tourist visa and travel throughout the U.S., committing their crimes.

“They’re often using fraudulent identification and rental vehicles,” Cooper said.

However, unlike other robberies, he said the criminals often try to avoid confrontations with their victims.

“We haven’t seen many violent encounters or that they’re armed,” Cooper said. “In one of our recent cases, the victim realized the theft was occurring [and] confronted the suspect, [the suspect] dropped the wallet and ran.”

In an April 17 incident, Farmington police arrested 42-year-old America Daniela Gonzalez Tobar as she fled from a Home Goods store at 260 N. Station Parkway in Farmington.

Gonzalez-Tobar denied being involved in the incident, but the victim, police, and witnesses inside the store positively identified her. Surveillance cameras also caught her running out of the store, behind her accomplice.

According to the victim, Gonzalez-Tobar approached her purse in her shopping cart while another man asked her about the price of an item. The victim grew suspicious and turned around to see Gonzalez-Tobar holding her wallet.

“I look around, and she has my wallet in her hand,” the victim, identified as Deborah Richardson in the police report, was captured explaining the incident to responding officers on their body cameras. “I go, what are you doing! And she goes, oh, oh, oh and she puts it back in my purse.”

Police discovered that Gonzalez-Tobar was a “wanted person” and on an FBI watch list for “ties to transnational criminal organizations, specifically the Chilean Theft Group.”

Gonzalez-Tobar was also suspected of other crimes, including one in Florida, according to Cooper.

She was taken into federal custody by the Department of Homeland Security. However, it appears Gonzalez-Tobar’s accomplice was not found after fleeing the scene.

Cooper said crime rings from other countries are also operating with similar modes of operation, including Venezuela, Argentina and China.

“The common links are they’re organized crime groups, they’re here temporarily, and in our [recent] experience, they have been foreign nationals- but most closely associated with South American theft groups,” Cooper said.

The transient nature of the criminals makes it hard to identify and arrest the suspects. Still, Cooper said they’re working with federal and local agencies to coordinate better and detain suspects.

“With the efforts we have here in Davis County and with some of our federal partners that have been a huge help to us as an agency, we’ve been able to track down some of these individuals and make arrests,” he said.

At the end of the day, Cooper said public awareness has a big impact on deterring such criminals.

“Keep your property secure, don’t be cavalier when shopping. Don’t be paranoid or afraid but just be smart, keep items of value close,” he said. “And as people are recreating this month, be sure to bring your valuables with you or keep them in a secure location in your vehicle- out of sight, out of mind.”