California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced felony charges Tuesday against three people allegedly involved in 13 different vehicle thefts or attempted vehicle thefts throughout California.
Between July 2023 and March 2024, suspects Jesse Venegas, Nathan Olivas and Christopher Anderson allegedly participated in a large-scale conspiracy to steal expensive high-performance vehicles from the counties of El Dorado, Kings, Monterey, Riverside, San Benito, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara and Tulare. Charges have been filed by DOJ’s Special Prosecutions Section, following an investigation and arrests conducted by the Visalia Police Department.
“At the California Department of Justice, we are fighting organized crime in the field and in the courtroom,” said Bonta. “We will not tolerate theft that endangers our communities. I am thankful for strong partnerships with local law enforcement that make California a safer state. When we work together, we get results.”
Sixty-five overt acts are described in the complaint, including an incident on or about Dec. 1, 2023, during which Venegas sent a message to an unidentified person advertising a “trackhawk” for $3,500. A day later the three suspects reportedly traveled to El Dorado Hills and stole a maroon Jeep Track Hawk from the Mercedes-Benz dealership. Anderson then allegedly uploaded images of himself with the stolen vehicle and posted video on which he proclaims, “We stole this bitch.” The Jeep was taken to Visalia and then sold for $4,000 to a buyer in Porterville, according to the complaint.
The total value of the stolen vehicles to date is more than $600,000. The DOJ’s Special Prosecution Section filed charges in El Dorado County of felony conspiracy, vehicle theft, possession of stolen vehicle, vandalism, receipt of stolen property and operating a chop shop.
DOJ’s Special Prosecution Section investigates and prosecutes complex criminal cases occurring in California, primarily related to financial, securities, mortgage and environmental fraud; public corruption, including violations of California’s Political Reform Act; “underground economy” offenses, including tax and revenue fraud and counterfeiting; and human trafficking. Vertical teams of prosecutors, investigators, auditors and paralegals often work with federal and local authorities on cases involving multi-jurisdictional criminal activity.
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