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Car rental owner scammed by ex-convict
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Posted on Apr 20 2012
By Ferdie de la Torre
Reporter
Reporter
Police arrested Wednesday night an ex-convict who allegedly stole $500 from a car rental owner by deceiving the businessman that he could help him recover the passports and other belongings that were stolen from a group of Chinese honeymooners.
Cheyenne P. Sablan, 29, was taken to the Superior Court yesterday morning to face a charge of theft by deception. His bail was set at $5,000 cash.
The scam came about after four Chinese tourists lost their passports, cash, and other items, to burglar/s at Ladder Beach on March 30, 2012.
According to police, QQ Car Rental owner Zi Jian, also known as James Han, had called Annie Crisostomo to ask for her help in recovering the items stolen from his four customers.
Crisostomo allegedly told Han she knew nothing about the burglary but that she was willing to help him recover the stolen passports. Crisostomo explained how burglars would break into the vehicles, take the money, and throw the rest of the stolen items in the jungle.
Han, Crisostomo, her boyfriend Sablan, and a QQ Car Rental employee proceeded to Ladder Beach on April 1 and searched the jungle but failed to find the passports.
Han paid Crisostomo and Sablan $10 for their assistance and told them that he was willing to pay $100 for each of the four passports and another $100 for the aircraft pilot license that belonged to one of the victims.
On April 2, Sablan allegedly called Han, saying he knew the person who has the passports and that the person is demanding $400 in exchange for the passports or $500 for the passports and the other stolen items.
Han turned over the $500 to Sablan at a parking lot of a store in Koblerville. Sablan left and never returned. Han called Sablan’s cell phone and a man answered. The man said that Sablan told him that he was only given $50 instead of the agreed upon $500.
Han later found Crisostomo but she told him that Sablan was not there.
