Crime & Safety

Man Admits Installing Skimming Device in La Quinta ATM in Plea Deal

That man was accused of trying to use information stolen via the devices at a Palm Desert bank, according to police.

A 29-year-old Sun Valley man pleaded guilty Monday to felony charges for using an electronic skimmer to steal account information from customers at a Chase bank branch in La Quinta.

Vahe Ruben Yerkanyan pleaded guilty to one count each of burglary, forging an access card and using personal information to obtain credit and was immediately sentenced to 270 days in custody and three years probation.

Yerkanyan was also ordered to pay a total of about $4,500 in restitution to six victims, according to the Riverside County District Attorney's Office. Under the plea deal, 13 other counts were dismissed.

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When the man was busted on May 14, it was at a Palm Desert branch of 
Chase where he "was using stolen account information," according to police reports issued at the time.  

Riverside County sheriff's Sgt. Steve DaSilva said that two days before the arrest was made, Yerkanyan went into a vestibule at the Chase branch at 78- 805 Highway 111 in La Quinta on three occasions, installing and removing a skimming device.

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A security guard at the Palm Desert bank later alerted law enforcement that someone was trying to use stolen account information there, DaSilva said.

– City News Service contributed to this report.


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