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OXNARD POLICE DEPARTMENT
NEWS RELEASE
| INCIDENT: | Arrest of scam participant for money laundering |
| DATE/TIME: | 12-9-2019/1015 |
| LOCATION: | 800 block South E Street, Oxnard |
| VICTIM(S): | 12 elderly victims across the country |
| SUSPECT(S): | Varadin, Dennis Dean, 65 years old |
| WITNESS(ES): | N/A |
| SUSPECT VEHICLE(S): | N/A |
| LOSS: | $170,000+ |
| PREPARED BY: | Detective Erica Escalante |
| CONTACT PERSON AND CONTACT INFO: | Detective Erica Escalante (805) 385-7661 |
DETAILS:
On December 9, 2019, officers from the Oxnard Police Department arrested Dennis Dean Varadin (6-7-1954) for money laundering, theft, and elder financial abuse after a four-month long investigation by the Oxnard Police Department Financial Crimes Unit. In August 2019 an elderly victim’s son from North Carolina reported suspicious activity on the Oxnard Police Department web site www.OxnardPD.org because his father sent a large check to someone in Oxnard as part of a telephone sweepstakes scam. The Oxnard Police Department began accepting online suspicious activity reports this year and over 600 reports have been received; many resulting in arrests for a variety of crimes.
In conjunction with the Ventura County Adult Protective Services to whom several banks filed mandated elder financial abuse reports, the Oxnard Police Department Financial Crimes Detective undertook a lengthy investigation. The Detective found that Varadin received large checks totaling over $170,000 from more than ten elderly scam victims across the country over the past year. Varadin was booked into Ventura County Jail with a bail of $20,000.
It is illegal to knowingly transmit stolen funds through one’s bank account. No obviously fraudulent checks should ever be deposited or cashed against one’s account. Resources on how to recognize scams can be found on the web sites for the Oxnard Police Department at www.OxnardPD.org/fraud, the Federal Trade Commission at www.ftc.gov, and the FBI at www.ic3.gov.
Ventura County Adult Protective Services investigated over 4600 cases of elder physical, financial abuse and neglect in 2019. APS partners with law enforcement when abuse rises to a criminal level through our Rapid Response Expert Team and Financial Abuse Specialist Team. If an elder is the victim of any online or phone scam or any type of financial or physical abuse, reports can be made to (805) 654-3200. The Ventura County Area Agency on Aging also provides telephone support for elderly scam victims at (805) 477-7300. The Coalition for Family Harmony also provides counseling for victims of online romance scams at (800) 300-2181.
DATE / TIME PREPARED: 12-9-2019/1300
