​IDENTITY THEFT: Claremont PD Finds More Than 20,000 Pieces of Stolen Property, Suspects in Custody

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

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CLAREMONT - Two suspects with outstanding warrants were arrested during a traffic stop Monday and were later accused of possessing stolen identity property.

Police made the traffic stop March 18 at 2:07 p.m. and discovered the driver, who has a suspended license, was allegedly under the influence of drugs. His passenger also had an active warrant, Claremont Police said.

A vehicle search yielded stolen mail, credit cards, fraudulent driver licenses and a key used to open community mail boxes, Claremont Police said.

After the suspects were taken into custody, police searched their room at the Claremont Lodge, 736 S. Indian Hill Blvd., and found additional stolen mail, a card reader, fraudulent checks and more than 20,000 pieces of property belonging to identity theft victims, Claremont Police said.

The suspects’ hotel room was fraudulently rented, Claremont Police said.

Arrested were 39-year-old transient Joseph Martinez and 28-year-old Pomona man Raymond Lussow.

Martinez and Lussow were booked on suspicion of identity theft, mail theft, illegal possession of a card reader, forgery and outstanding warrants.

Martinez was additionally booked on suspicion of DUI.

Both suspects had a scheduled appearance in Pomona Superior Court Wednesday, March 20.