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Suspects Arrested In ID Theft Ring Believed To Span Across Inland Empire

RANCHO CUCAMONGA (CBSLA.com) — Patrick Acosta says it happened to him about a month ago.

He had just finished his morning workout at the 24 Hour Fitness in Rancho Cucamonga when he realized someone had broken into his car.

"I thought I'd left the window down, but then I noticed it was all shattered," said Acosta.

His friend John Theis didn't just lose his wallet and ID  —   the thieves also stole his keys.

"I was pretty nervous about it. I have a wife, a daughter, a newborn son," he said. "They had my address, my house keys, I was kind of worried about that. I had to go home and get my locks changed."

Deputies had been noticing a rash of car break-ins in the area, so they tracked the activity on the stolen credit cards, looked at surveillance video, and identified 41-year-old William Hernandez and 33-year-old Stephanie Romero of Chino.

Investigators believe the two are responsible for a widespread identity theft operation across the Inland Empire.

"We served search warrants in the city of Santa Fe Springs, the city of Chino, we've identified victims in La Verne, Glendora,
Upland," said Sheriff's Deputy Jacob Bailey.

Deputies are now trying to track down all those victims and see how much financial damage may have occured.

Theis says it's something he's worried about since the break-in.

"I'm a really paranoid person to begin with, so I was worried about identity theft," he said. "What's to stop them from opening a credit card under my name or even getting a driver's license?"

Acosta said he's grateful deputies arrested the thieves, but he's keeping his guard up, being more careful about where he parks his vehicle and not leaving anything in the car.

"I learned my lesson. I take everything with me," he said. "I bring my backpack with me and put everything in there because I'm not going to have it happen again."

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